Kamlepo sues MRA, Police

Embattled Rumphi East member of Parliament (MP) Kamlepo Kalua has taken to court for abuse of office two Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) officers and a police officer who impounded his two vehicles late last month.

The defendants are Maganizo Chinkoko, MRA senior tax investigation officer and lead investigator during the raid, Edwin Magalasi, assistant commissioner for police and regional criminal investigations officer (Southern Region) and Winstone Honde, an officer at MRA.

The three officials led a raid of Kalua’s house in Nkolokosa Township, Blantyre where they seized a Mercedes Benz and a Toyota V8 belonging to Kalua’s son Penjani, on allegation that they were smuggled into the country.

The legislator, through lawyer Wanangwa Jere, is demanding damages for the injuries he has suffered namely, being put to public shame and ridicule, embarrassed in his reputation and credit as an MP as well as being put in serious public odium and has suffered in his self-esteem and estimation of reasonable members of society.

According to civil case number 142 of 2017 filed at the High Court in Blantyre which The Nation has seen, the defendants have 14 days to satisfy the claims or state whether they will contest the proceedings.

Particulars of abuse of office include, ignoring or failing to take into account before making decisions to cause or procure search warrants that the plaintiff‘s motor vehicles were cleared duty-free by MRA, ignoring or neglecting or failing to take into account before making the above-said decisions that the Malawi Police Service duly cleared the said motor vehicles as not been stolen abroad.

 The three officers are also being accused of neglecting or failing to comply with a court order and conniving or conspiring with each other to prevent the course of justice and acting in wanton and reckless manner occasioning or bludgeoning travesty of justice. 

The seized vehicles, including a grounded Jeep, were later returned after the legislator obtained an injunction against the action.

Kalua is also currently embroiled in another battle with the police as he is being accused of staging his own abduction.

He has since dismissed the assertions by the law enforcers, saying it is bent on tarnishing his image. n