Some 40 police officers who were summoned to appear before a Malawi Police Service disciplinary hearing on Wednesday have been interdicted with half pay for allegedly for allegedly absconding work, faceofmalawi can reveal.
The 40 police officers are part of security detail for the State Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima who is also leader of United Transformation Movement (UTM) Party.
In 2018, the Malawi Police Service withdrew the 40 guards from the vice president’s office and redeployed them to various police stations across the country.
The move left Chilima with seven security guards for two official residences at Area 12 in Lilongwe and Mudi House in Blantyre as well as his office at Capital Hill and his motorcade.
However, the police officers continued working as Chilima’s guards after the vice president obtained a court order stopping government from cutting his security detail.
On Tuesday this week, the police told the 40 law enforcers to appear for a disciplinary hearing at area 30 on Wednesday, accusing them of absconding work.
This forced the officers to obtain an injunction to suspend the disciplinary hearing.
Despite the injunction, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) led by the Inspector General Rodney Jose has interdicted the 40 law enforcers.
This has been disclosed in a statement seen by faceofmalawi reporter addressed to the 40 police officers.
“Be informed that the following have been interdicted from duty on half pay with effect from January 9, 2019 pending completion of the disciplinary case of absenting oneself from without leave contrary to section 3(e) of the code of conduct for police officers (schedule to section 52 of the police act),” reads in part the statement
.
Below is the interdiction letter;
