Chakwera witness re-examined

Lawyers representing second petitioner Lazarus Chakwera in the presidential election petitions case yesterday concluded re-examining his third witness Peter Lackson Chimangeni.

The re-examination, which offers an opportunity to seal some holes in the responsesa witness made during his cross-examination, ended within the stipulated time frame of one and a half days.

Chakwera’s lead lawyer Modecai Msisha re-examined him mainly on forms 66C which were used for tallying results from polling centres.

Chimangeni, continuing in his argument that the election results were manipulated, emphasised that MEC did not use log books for transferring information and altering figures on some of the controversial forms.

Some documents from centres such as Rumphi Magistrate’s Court and some polling centres in Chitipa and Lilongwe were previously exhibited in court when the Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale, representing MEC, was cross-examining him.

During the cross-examination, Chimangeni seemed at pains to respond to some questions Kaphale asked him.

 But yesterday’s re-examination allowed him to explain in detail how votes were manipulated.

He said: “…An error does not have to show the pattern. It is supposed to be random… I am saying that these figures were not correct because data on result sheets were not transfered from the log books…”

The court was supposed to continue with the cross-examination process where Anthony Bendulo, Chakwera’s fourth witness, was expected to start taking questions from Kaphale and Frank Mbeta, a lawyer representing the first respondent President Peter Mutharika.

But Bendulo was not available at the court, leading to the adjournment of the case to today.

Hearing of the case is expected to be concluded by December 6 this year. Thereafter, the five-judge panel of Healey Potani, Redson Kapindu, Ivy Kamanga, Dingiswayo Madise and Mike Tembo will deliver its landmark ruling within 45 days.