Court stops Malawi ruling PP from suspending Kasambara
The High Court has granted former Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara an injunction stopping Malawi’s ruling People’s Party (PP) from suspending him as its Director of Legal Affairs.
The party suspended Kasambara and businessman Osward Lutepo after being in implicated in the attempted murder of the ministry of finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo and the looting of public resources at Capitol Hill, respectively.
The court order restrains PP Acting Secretary General, Paul Maulidi, Deputy Secretary General Irene Chikuni, for and on behalf of Management Committee from enforcing their suspension which was issued on November 18 after Kasambara was implicated in the attempted murder of the budget director.
“It’s hereby ordered that the suspension of the plaintiff as a National Director of Legal Affairs and member of the party be and is hereby stayed and the Defendants by themselves, their agents or any member of the People’s Party be and are restrained from further enforcing the Defendant’s resolution suspending the plaintiff as the party’s National Director of Legal Affairs and as a member of the People’s Party,” reads the order in part.
According to Kasambara, PP breached its constitution by not according him a hearing and that the party’s statutes do not state that one is outright suspended for being suspected of a crime which has not be proven by a competent court of law.
He argues that since the governing party has banned him from using any party color, it will be difficult for him to realize his dream of representing the party which he said he has used his resources to campaign for as well as support the party by paying some of its bills .
According to court affidavits, he has so far distributed over 2,000 party t-shirts that were bought at K1,100.00 each, 2500 party caps that he was buying at K650 each; 1500 party badges that he was buying at K350 each and over 600 rolls of party cloth , bought at K16,000 each.
“So far on party materials I have spent over K13,950,000 on the party cloth, t-shirts, party caps and party badges.
“During the just ended voter registration exercise in Nkhata-Bay North West Constituency, the Party’s Mpamba Political District Governor, Mr. M. Lungu directed that as the Party’s aspiring Member of Parliament I should sponsor payment for the monitors in the sum of K450,000 which I have paid,” reads Kasambara’s affidavit
