Pastors in trouble over gay case
Mzuzu-based lawyer George Kadzipatike has given 14 days to Young Pastors Coalition to pay K10 million legal fees for a case they challenged government’s decision to stop prosecuting homosexuals.
The youthful pastors engaged the private practice lawyer last year to question the legality of the moratorium affirmed by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu.
The High Court in Mzuzu ordered the State to scrape the moratorium, but the pastors are at risk of being sued by their own lawyer for failing to settle legal fees.
On Wednesday, Kadzipatike confirmed giving the pastors a final reminder to pay up.
He said: “The pastors were supposed to make a deposit of K5 million and pay the remainder after the injunction had been sustained, but they failed to meet even the deposit. We obtained the injunction and went back to court after the Attorney General tried to vacate the injunction.”
Young Pastors Coalition president Patrick Banda said they paid the lawyer the deposit for the injunction and they were supposed to pay him K10 million if the matter continued in court.
“We were pushing the matter for the common good but well-wishers have not come forward to support us,” he said. n
