Court releases Malawi activists Trapence and Sembereka on bail
Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Violet Chipawo has granted bail to two human rights activists Gift Trapence and MacDonald Sembeleka arrested for alleged fraud after the United Nations (UN) demanded their unconditional release.
The State has charged Sembereka with three counts while Trapence is facing four counts.
Sembereka is suspected of forgery of official documents, uttering a false document and money laundering and operating an unregistered NGO.
Trapence, on the other hand, is suspected of forgery of official documents of Mkango Lodge in Blantyre for a purported lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) and sex workers workshop which never happened, uttering false documents and operating an NGO ‘Mango’ without registering it with the NGO Board.
The duo is also co-accused of acquiring K7.4 million for the said workshop on LGBTI and sex workers.
Making her bail ruling on Friday, Chipawo said each of the suspect should pay K200 000 surity, one surity each to pay MK1 million bond each, should be reporting at the Police Headquarters on Friday every fortnight and should not interfere with the investigations.
The state had earlier objected to the bail application citing further ongoing investigations, possible interference with witnesses among other as reasons.
Further, the state said they brought the suspects to court within the prescribed legal timeframe after being arrested.
However, the court found the reasons lacking.
“The compliance of the 48 hours rule should not be a blanket authority to further detain the accused. The State should not arrest and investigate later. Even the notion that they want further investigation does not warrant further detention,” said Chipawo. adding that the suspects should enjoy their right to liberty.
Police Prosecutor Moja Phiri applied to the court to add another bail condition that the two should surrender their travelling documents to the police which the defence lawyer Khumbo Soko did not object but rather suggested that they surrender the same to court.
Malawi Police Service (MPS) has since sought guidance from the Attorney General (AG) in the case following numerous calls, including one from UN and its agency, the Joint UN Programme on HIV and Aids (UNAids), for the release of activists.
In its letter to the Malawi Government on Wednesday after the arrest of the duo on Tuesday afternoon, the UN office in Malawi said the matter was “amicably resolved” and denied reporting the issue to police.
According to a statement from UNAids headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, UNAids and Mango Network reached a resolution on the issue and that the UN agency did not take any legal action because it believes there was no need for such.
Reads the statement in part: “UNAids respectfully requests the immediate release of the two members of the Mango Network, Mr Gift Trapence and Mr Macdonald Sembereka, from police custody.
“UNAids is strongly supportive of the full empowerment and engagement of civil society organisations in the Aids response.
“It looks forward to continuing its partnership with community and civil society organisations in ensuring that all people affected by HIV have access to HIV prevention, treatment and social support services and that their human rights are protected.”
Trapence is executive director of Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) while Sembereka serves as the institution’s board chairperson.
Apart from Cedep, Trapence is also deputy chairperson of Human Rights Defenders Coalition, an organistion which has been organising protests to force the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah for presiding over an allegedly flawed electoral process in the May 21 Tripartite Elections.
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WAKUBAYO! wAKUBAYO!
I am happy that these people – Trapence and Sembereks – who claim to be Angeles are actually thieves.
Iwe ukuti ndiwe Chilungamo, There are great criminals the likes of APM, Jane Ansah, Chaponda, Sam Alufandika…The list is endless, But they are left free without being arrested. Uyu wonunkha mkamwayu APM akupitirizabe kuba ndikutukwana ngati si munthu wamkulu. Yet nothing is being done. Komatu Mulungu adzaweruza zinsinsi zathu posachedwa ndipo zobisika zonse zidzaoneka including the money APM gave to Seodi White for paying the ignorant women who were hired for the pro-Ansah march. Ndi pomwe adzaonekere ng’amba. Isn’t this criminal?
Iwe INVESTIGATOR, CHIMDALA chako chikuba ma vote with TIPPEX and you are quiet!
So some foolish Malawians still trust these crooks. Anzanu akuba ma Million, inu basi kukuyendesani pamsewu kusiya nthito zamu ndi mabisiness anu. Kupusa basi. Musauka mukasatila za mbava zimenezi. Mtambo mukuziwa kale iye akudalila charms chake bangles pa mikono yake, amenewo ndi milungu yake. Tazisatilani anthu amenewa musauka.
Koma abale social media is full of reports that MEC is going around inticing presiding officers with money to sign the elections documents that were not signed. Reported by those who are seeing this first hand but have nowhere to report. And there are rumours that the Cadets have plans to eliminate those that will not play along or can spill beans. Who is checking this now instead of waiting until it is too late. The police can not be trusted as they are obviously part of the plan.
Please a Malawi anzanga be on the look out and deligent….
The complainants in the case are saying release the two activists unconditionally…why giving them those bail conditions? Discharge that case because the complainants are not interested to proceed with the case as they already stated that they agreed to solve the issue amicably.
So UN supports criminals? What a precedence! So one one can chew donor funds as long as one confesses no problem! Very good
Thieves have been released from police custody. Manyazi bwanji a Trapence ndi a Sembeleka.
THOUGH THEY CAN TRY TO PENALISE THAT PRESSURE GROUP IT WONT WORK GOD IS UNDER CONTROL, WE WILL GIVE PITALLA PRESURE WAVE AFTER WAVE
Sorry for the time in Prison.
Anthu athu amenewa akangofa mosadziwika bwino, inu a DPP just know kuti kukhala nkhondo, because we will know that you have a hand in it. So dont dare!
SHAMELESS THUGS! STEALING MONEY FOR AIDS! I HAVE ALWAYS SAID IT THAT THESE CSOS ARE THUGS! THEY DONT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING, ONLY STEALING! AND PLEASE WHITE MAN CAN YOU STOP FUNDING THESE CSO,S. THEY ARE ALL LOSERS/ LOAFERS. THEY DONT CARE ABOUT AIDS/ ALBINOS/ HUMAN RIGHTS! THEY BEAT UP THEY WIFES AND SLEEP WITH WHORES ALL NIGHT! YOU WHITE PEOPLE ARE VERY STUPID OR MAYBE YOU EATING A BIGGER SHARE AS WELL!!!!!!
What about the one who stole K145,ooo,ooo?
What is important is that we now know kuti nawonso ndi mbava. The arrest has revealed that Trapence and Sembereka are thieves. They stole money meant to benefit Malawians.
How important is it?
Back to more demos! You just been super charged.
What should happen to those who altered the election results with tippex?
Good question and the one that has been troubling my mind. Is it not crime? What will be the costs in the event of re-run and those of the opposition legal team?
These guys chewed the money that was meant for hiv/aids activities, that is a fact. What some of us want is that this case should see the light of the day otherwise the government will pay heavily through the nose in compensation if the case files are going to gather dust on the shelves. A trapece ndi a sembereka kudya makobi pansana pa edzi. Useless activism. By the collegues, there was a program on bbc sometime back that talked about activism business, evangelism business and politism business. With these guys in csos, they are involved in activism business. Therefore, we should not blindfolded when they are making noise. It means they are spinning moneys. Yes are, kulibe chaulere.
What should happen to those who stole money meant for poor and vulnerable people? Like the UN has advised, we just ignore what has happened and move on. After all we are all thieves.