Rumphi East member of Parliament (MP) Kamlepo Kalua has filed an appeal notice against a High Court verdict on his tax evasion case after the court ruled in favour of Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and Malawi Police Service (MPS).
His appeal comes barely three days after High Court judge Roland Mbvundula discharged an order he obtained restraining MRA and the police from investigating three vehicles they seized from his residence and his son’s place in Blantyre.
Both lawyer representing the outspoken People’s Party (PP) vice-president (North), Wanangwa Hara and MRA spokesperson Steven Kapoloma confirmed the knowledge of the appeal yesterday.
Mbvundula, who made the ruling on May 22 2018, granted Kamlepo an order appeal and another order staying his own determination pending appeal.
Hara said of the order: “What this means is that the ruling has been stopped or stayed and is without any effect until the Supreme Court hears the matter all over again and makes determination on issues that we have raised,”
Kapoloma also said the public tax collector was served with the notice of appeal and that it will be challenging it.
According to court documents, all the concerned parties have also been ordered to attend the Registrar of High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal at the Principal Registry on June 4 2018.
Among others, Kamlepo argues that the High Court erred in law and in fact in failing to quash the decisions of MRA and police to cause searches and plot the arrest of Kamlepo regarding the three vehicles.
The three vehicles are a Mercedes Benz registration RU 5734, Jeep Grand Cherokee with a South African number CS31-MK GP and a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 registration KA 8966.
MRA and police conducted a raid at Kamlepo’s residence and his son’s home in Blantyre where they seized the three classy vehicles on suspicion that Kamlepo had evaded tax.
