Former Vice President Khumbo Hastings Kachale has urged politicians in the country to learn a big lesson from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s miserable lose in election case.
DPP wanted the court to restore the status quo, such as reinstatement of former president Peter Mutharika as Head of State and nullify parliamentary and local government elections conducted after the June 23, 2020 fresh presidential election.
But after hearing arguments from both side, the Constitutional Court led by Sylvester Kalembera dismissed the case with costs.
Writing on his official facebook page Kachale pleaded with politicians in the country not to be cheated with lawyers.
“Friends, it is my hope that those of us fashioning ourselves as politicians, have learnt a big lesson from the DPP Elections case. Let us not allow ourselves to be cheated by lawyers. Where necessary and if resources permit, let us always be prudent enough to seek legal opinions from different lawyers on an issue before it is lodged with the courts. Otherwise we might fall in the hands of very cruel and greedy lawyers who will not tell us the truth as long as they see prospects of making more money.
“The DPP Elections case reminds me of a case in which the former Head of State, His Excellency, Dr. Bakili Muluzi engaged over 25 lawyers some local and some international. They gathered at Sun N’ Sand in Mangochi where they were working on moving the courts to allow Dr. Bakili Muluzi to stand for a third time as a Presidential Candidate in 2009. What an expensive venture and a not-so-wise move he made,” wrote Kachale.
He added: “The case was dismissed in a very embarrassing manner. Former President, Dr. Bakili Muluzi had to settle all the bills at the luxury lakeside resort thus financing a free holiday for the merciless lawyers and pay legal fees to all the more than 25 ruthless counsels. The most painful thing is that it was later on known that some of the lawyers, knew that they were not going to win the case because they used to joke about it over drinks yet they did not tell Dr Bakili Muluzi the truth.
“Let us learn from these cases that it is not all the time that lawyers will tell you the truth. They sometimes tell you what you want to hear. I feel for the plight of Former President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.”