Committee withdraws impeachment report

The Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament on Thursday announced withdrawal of its report on review of Standing Orders, including those on procedures to impeach the President and the Vice-President.

Speaker of the National Assembly Henry Chimunthu Banda told the House that the committee indicated the report will be brought back after other issues have been attended to, including further consultations.

Said Chimunthu Banda: “At its meeting, the Business Committee approved the request of the Legal Affairs Committee to have its report withdrawn.

“This means, therefore, that the report has been withdrawn and will no longer appear on the order paper until the committee decides to bring back that report after they have done what they intend to do, for example, further consultations on the report.”

The proposed Standing Orders include draft impeachment procedures which were proposed to the Legal Affairs Committee that could see the President or the Vice-President  removed within 30 days of being indicted.

The impeachment procedures will only require a member to move a motion to indict the President or Vice-President for impeachment to give notice of intention signed by one third of MPs to the office of the Speaker seven days before the motion.

“The notice of motion shall contain allegations of serious breaches of the Constitution and/or written laws by the President or the Vice-President. Any signature appended to the notice of motion shall not be withdrawn,” reads the proposed Section 239 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders.

Then the Speaker shall within 24 hours issue a writ of summons to the accused President or Vice-President, reciting serious violation and notifying him or her to appear before the National Assembly, upon a day and at a place fixed within seven days.

After the debate of the motion, the Speaker shall call a vote on the motion and it shall be passed if affirmed by a two-thirds vote of the MPs and the committee of the whole House.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has withdrawn earlier petitions it filed on Section 65 and filed fresh ones with more evidence, responding to Chimunthu Banda’s earlier ruling that the initial petitions lacked substantial evidence.

He told legislators that leader of DPP in the House Dr George Chaponda wrote the Speaker, withdrawing the petitions to declare vacant seats of 40 MPs for  crossing the floor by  joining the ruling PP.

Chimunthu Banda said the withdrawal of the petitions means that the injunction stopping him from making a ruling on Section 65 has fallen off and but he cannot make any decision on the matter based on the withdrawn petition.

Chaponda, in a letter to the Speaker, did not give reasons for the withdrawal.