The Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has sets free former President Dr. Joyce Banda’s Sister Cecilia Kumpukwe, Ackson Kalaile Banda, Stella Assani and Yesaya Mkawala.
The four opposition People’s Party (PP) officials were being accused of having a hand in fake resignation letter purportedly written by the country’s Vice President Saulos Chilima.
The State charged the PP officials with two counts of making a false document contrary to Section 353 of the Penal Code and publishing false news likely to cause fear and alarm among members of the Republic of Malawi, which is in contravention of Section 60 (1) of the Penal Code.
Senior resident magistrate (SRM) Chisomo Msokera in Lilongwe acquitted the accused for lack of prosecution interest to commence trial on Thursday.
Their lawyers Bright Theu, Nicely Msowoya and Chimwemwe Sikwese have been arguing that the State lacked seriousness to prosecute the matter which had no evidence at all.
Reacting to the acquittal, Kumpukwe said she will have to discuss with her lawyers on the way forward, saying a police raid at her residence and Assani’s houses led to confiscation of computers and mobile phones purportedly used in authoring the said document.
