The officials who were ordered by the High Court in Blantyre to get ballot papers, tally sheets, counter foils, log books and voter registers in ballot boxes at Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) warehouse found out that the ballot boxes have been tampered with.

The revelation came in following the inspection of the polling materials for parliamentary elections in three constituencies whose results are being challenged in court.

Loose ballot box seals were noted by officials conducting the inspection exercise of the polling materials at MEC warehouse.

However, the officials found boxes filled with reflectors, banners and other irrelevant documents which pointed to the fact that that a number of ballot boxes had been tampered with, reminding the entire exercise of recounting the contested ballots futile a one.

The materials were needed in a case in which three Malawi Congress Party (MCP) shadow members of parliament in Chikwawa and Nsanje Districts are challenging results of the May 21 parliamentary elections.

The case was scheduled to return in court on July 29.