Lawyers for well-known businessman Thom Mpinganjira in the Judges bribery case have asked the court to regard their client as whistle-blower and not a criminal.
Defense lawyer Patrice Nkhono said this on Thursday when the case resumed at the High Court in Blantyre where the first state witness Mike Tembo continued testifying in the case.
Nkhono said his client’s (Thom Mpinganjira) move to approach the Judges was to find out if really the money that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials was collecting from him reached the Judges.
“Don’t regard our client as a criminal but a whistle blower in the sense that he helped the state to uncover the bribery syndicate by some top officials from the then Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),” said Nkhono.
Lawyer Faustino Mayere also asked state witness Justice Tembo to confirm that Dr Mpinganjira was a whistle blower but he rejected.
“l don’t agree period! if he was, he would’ve gone to ACB or police,” said Tembo in court.
Mpinganjira is facing charges of attempting to bribe high court charges presiding over the presidential election case into ruling in favour of former President Peter Mutharika. Mutharika lost the case.
Meanwhile the case has been adjourned to month end where the state will parade its second witness in the name of Justice Healy Potani.
