Justice Mwaungulu upholds ruling on Chaponda’s maize-gate case

Justice Dunstan Mwaungulu of the Supreme Court of Appeal has reserved his ruling in the appeal case where the state wants the court to vacate the injunction restraining Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Dr. George Chaponda from discharging his duties until the commission of inquiry releases its finds on maize-gate scandal.

Mzuzu High Court Judge Justice John Chirwa on January 31, 2016 sustained Chaponda’s suspension and ordered for a leave for judicial review of President Peter Mutharika’s decision not to suspend George Chaponda amid a probe into the Zambia maize.

The development did not please the state and Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale appealed the case to Supreme Court.

In the appeal, Kaphale urged that Justice Chirwa erred in his ruling, saying the court has no powers to suspend or fire a cabinet minister.

When the case resumed yesterday at the Supreme Court, Justice Mwaungulu upheld his after listening arguments from both sides.

He said he found the documents presented before him riddled with manifest and banal mistakes and that the High Court might have overlooked some of the inconsistencies.

He noted one of the errors as CSOs indicating that President Mutharika should resign instead of Chaponda.

Meanwhile Malawians are following the case with keen interest.