Police defy court order
The Malawi Police Service (MPS) has given 40 officers serving Vice-President Saulosi Chilima half salaries for February as part of disciplinary measures which are against a court order issued some weeks ago, Nation on Sunday has learnt.
Nation on Sunday has spoken to both affected officers and the Office of the Vice-President and have confirmed the development while MPS has refused to comment on the matter.
In January this year, the High Court in Blantyre ordered the Inspector General of Police, Rodney Jose, to suspend disciplinary proceedings on 40 law enforcers who were said to be absconding work.
Before the order, the police told the 40 officers to appear before a disciplinary hearing, accusing them of absconding work, which was challenged in court.
But despite this order, MPS has paid each of the concerned officers half the salary they are entitled to as part of their interdiction.
“It is true. I have received half of my salary for this month [February] and the case is the same with my colleagues. We are surprised because there is a court order which suspended the disciplinary proceedings,” said an officer who refused to be named.
Another added: “Why should we be at the centre of their political fight? For me I am a police officer it does not matter where I am placed. I must not suffer because of politics. I really wished I had an opportunity for another job”.
Special assistant to Chilima, Milward Tobias, confirmed the development but referred the matter to lawyer Bright Theu who is representing the police officers.
Sounding frustrated, in a telephone interview on Saturday,
Last year, the Inspector General of Police ordered the transfer of the security detail from Vice-President to elsewhere but the move was thwarted by a court order.
In the presence of this order, the police called for disciplinary hearing against the 40 officers for abscondment of duties, but the group was rescued by another court order which suspended such disciplinary procedures.
The last court order came in January which stopped the interdiction of the officers which the police have just defied after giving the officers half of their pay.
“Despite all these orders he (Inspector General of Police) has gone ahead to interdict them and interdiction is part of the disciplinary proceedings. We have applied to court for contempt, the court is yet to schedule the matter. We have written a letter to them so that we can enforce these orders but the court is simply silent. So I would advise you to check with the registrar on why court proceedings are yet to be scheduled” explained Theu. National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera refused to comment while High Court Registrar Agness Patemba could not pick our calls.
