Dausi sues Chilima for defamation over ballot torching allegations
Minister of Homeland Security, Nicholas Dausi, has filed a lawsuit against State vice-president and UTM Party presidential candidate Saulos Chilima for defamation over the 2014 Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) warehouse torching allegations made against Dausi.
Defamation is a “cause of action”: a basis for commencing litigation and seeking a remedy from a court.
Chilima made the claims during a campaign rally in Chtipa last week that the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was behind the missing of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at MEC offices in Lilongwe, saying he was “not surprised” that people broke into MEC offices in Area 3, Lilongwe and went away with the CCTV cameras “because it is the same DPP, led by Nicholas Dausi, that set a MEC warehouse on fire in 2014.”
The UTM leader challenged Dausi or DPP to sue him over the claims “ if they want to”, saying “we shall meet in court.”
Now, Dausi, who had initially downplayed Chilima’s remarks as campaign talk, has decided to sue for defamation.
Ironically, Chilima was in the governing DPP when, on the night of July 15 2014, fire burnt the warehouse and destroyed some property, including ballot boxes scheduled for a vote recount in a contested Lilongwe City South East parliamentary election.
MEC declared DPP’s Bently Namasasu as winner of the parliamentary poll with 10 956 votes against Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) Ulemu Msungama‘s 10 854, a difference of 102 votes.
But two days before a High Court hearing of the case, which followed a failed recount due to an injunction restraining MEC from going ahead with the process, the warehouse caught fire.
Hours after the arson, both MEC and MCP said they suspected arson.
Special Assistant to Chilima, Milward Tobias, said that the vice-president has not yet been served with the court documents.
Legal experts say the mere threat of litigation, or the burden of defending litigation, might be just as valuable as a court order: each may serve as a political weapon.
For politicians, re-election – or being voted out – is a far more potent remedy than a damages award from a court.
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Voting for Chilima is same as voting for Mutharika, they are the
Dausi, SKC wouldn’t have made such damming revelations unless he had credible evidence. Muyaluka and, with you, APM/DPP.
People please read the game.
Dausi is being clever. By taking this issue to court he has an excuse not to answer or comment on this matter. All he will be saying is he cannot comment as the matter is in court. Basi duu.
The problem with many here is umbuli and kusayenda to different countries. If people followed politics in Europe, America, Canada and Australia bwezi zopusa zilipo kwathu kuno kulibe. Chilima is coming from the same family of thieves. He is still using government taxes and doing literally nothing to be enjoying the resources of tax payers. We are giving a bad example to our children. Do people in America and Europe earn money for cheating? What is wrong with Malawi? We clap hands for this. Chilima was not forced out dpp like the way Chilumpha and JB were. Yet we want… Read more »
Kkkkk mulandu wambava zokhazokha
Poor Malawians, just making noise for nothing, you don’t even bother to read the constitution of the land you live in.
DPP burns evidence in all cases! Maizegate, Escomgate etc.! That’s their style.
Let Saulosi Chilima also tell Malawians that 2014 elections were rigged in favour of him APM. MCP just buy a lot of whisky he will vomit the beans of 2014. Ndumbidwa sizingalamule dziko taa.
Adausi samalani, mwana uyu atha kukaku sheretsani ku khothi, don’t downplay him, he seems to have done his homework quiet well, don’t forget he was once in your blue camp, he knows all the corners! ohoooooo muziona!
Everyone here says SKC has evidence. I thought the court has asked him to go present his evidence in his defense. Akapereketu. It’s that easy. Sizowophyezana that he has this or that. He is a man of his word so let him produce the evidence. Ena mukuti ma plan, anyamata amene anatumidwa this and that. Let them take the evidence kwa judge kuti this is what Dausi promised etc. Whoever has stronger evidence will prevail.