Court hears Bingu’s family on impounded cars

The High Court in Blantyre yesterday heard the family of former president Bingu wa Mutharika in a judicial review on the Malawi Revenue Authority’s (MRA) decision to impound 41 motor vehicles over their duty status.

Lawyer representing the Mutharika family Chancy Gondwe argued before High Court Judge Dunstan Mwaungulu that MRA did not accord a right to the applicants to be heard before the seizure.

Gondwe, who is representing the late Bingu’s brother Peter, his widow Callista and daughter Tapiwa, told the court that the public tax collector seized the motor vehicles within seven days without according his clients sufficient time to appreciate the sums due and organise the duty charged.

But MRA lawyer  Christopher Likomwa  counter-argued.

Mwaungulu has since adjourned the case to July 18 for a ruling.

The matter arose after MRA wrote Peter Mutharika demanding that the customs duty be paid within 14 days.

But the family obtained an injunction, restraining MRA from executing its decision, saying they have a constitutional right to property and freedom from arbitrary deprivation of property.n