The constitutional court has taken a break for a week until September 30 on hearing the presidential case.
This is coming after Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale finished cross examining Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President Lazarus Chakwera.
The early morning session of Friday Kaphale and Chakwera engaged in a heated exchange over cross examination demands with each standing their ground going forward.
During his cross examination which lasted for one and half days the Attorney General tried to patch holes on Chakwera’s sworn statements focusing much on the role of monitors in the elections.
Kaphale based his arguments on the absence of monitors on the second petitioners list of witnesses.
President Judge Healey Potani said on resumption of hearing the court shall sit for some three weeks before another break when Chakwera shall return to be cross examined by lawyer representing Peter Mutharika
Attorney general Kalekeni Kaphale has concluded the cross examination of second petitioner in the ongoing presidential election Lazarus Chakwera.
Kaphale said he was satisfied with how the cross examination was conducted.
“As the witness admitted monitors are there to verify the accuracy of results and to see that the process is going on well. Now you then have to wonder how anybody can just say this result sheet is nonstandard. The result sheet contains Data that has been signed for by monitors and the monitors have been kept away from court to comment on the validity of the data,” said Kaphale.
Chakwera’s lawyer senior council Mordecai Msiska said his client has other witnesses other than election monitors who will prove his point.
“They are issue that the various witnesses will talk through regarding what happened after the polling sessions. There are issues that happened at the polling stations like monitors not being allowed to lodge their complaints,” said Msiska.
The court has adjourned the case to September 30 where lawyers for first respondent Peter Mutharika will start cross examining Chakwera.
