Court rebuffs Mpinganjira over case delay
The High Court yesterday dismissed a fresh application by lawyers representing business person Thom Mpinganjira to seek another adjournment to pave the way for a judicial review application over his arrest.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is accusing Mpinganjira of allegedly offering a bribe to the panel of five High Court judges who presided over the landmark presidential election case that nullified the May 21 2019 presidential poll in February this year.
ACB director general Reyneck Matemba yesterday confirmed the ruling by judge Dorothy De Gabrielle, saying following the decision the case will resume on October 22 2020.
He said: “The case comes for continued hearing on the 22nd of October, 2020. We will start parading our witnesses on that day.”
Among the list of witnesses for the case are the five High Court judges who sat as a Constitutional Court in presiding over the presidential election case.
Mpinganjira was arrested in Blantyre following an investigation by the graft fighting bureau which was acting on a complaint submitted by the judges through the Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda.
The five judges—Healy Potani, Ivy Kamanga, Dingiswayo Madise, Redson Kapindu and Mike Tembo—are expected to be witnesses for the ACB and have provided written statements to the bureau detailing the alleged actions of the business person and former group chairperson for FDH Holdings.
Mpinganjira denies any wrongdoing and through his lawyers, has called for a judicial review on the legality of his arrest.
