The High Court in Blantyre has today granted FDH Bank an injunction restraining human rights activist Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence from making careless remarks against the bank.
Chief executive officer of FDH Financial Holding Group Thomson Mpinganjira and the FDH Bank, appearing as first and second claimants respectively, got the relief restraining the two leaders of Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) from making malicious and defamatory that the claimants financed the rigging operations by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Mpinganjira and the FDH Bank, according to the order of the injunction granted, are expected to file an inter partes application for the injunction within seven days.
In his sworn affidavit, Mpinganjira explained that the defendants held nationwide demonstrations on 4th and 5th July 2019 which ended up with a vigil and that they even stoned FDH Bank, a bank to which he is a member.
The FDH boss said since an article was published in The Daily Times regarding a bank account styled Chief Elections Officer; some members affiliated to HRDC have mounted a campaign against FDH Bank Ltd dubbed “FDH Bank must fall” and urging customers of the bank to close their accounts.
He said the demonstrators under the banner of HRDC, despite a plea in writing to the defendants by lawyers the bank appointed, Mbendera and Nkhono Associates, went on to stone and broke glasses of FDH, Umoyo House in Blantyre.
The claimants fear their reputation is being damaged irreparably to the extent that only damages may not restore good name and character.
The HRDC has been organising demonstrations against Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah, demanding that she resigns for accusations that she helped to rig the May 21 presidential race in favour of DPP’s presidential candidate Peter Mutharika, who was declared winner.
The demonstrations, in most parts of the nation, turned violent, to the extent that some State property and private property belonging to members of the DPP have been torched.
