Chilima lawyer stun court over MEC cross-examination expiry mandate claim

The Constitutional Court is Friday morning to make a determination on a claim by lawyer for first petitioner Saulos Chilima  in the landmark presidential poll case that Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) legal team has finished cross-examining the former vice president’s witnesses.

Laywer Dr Chikosa Silungwe stunned the court when he told the MEC legal team, headed by the Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale that the lawyers were done with the cross-examination for Chilima witnesses.

Silungwe told the court that the MEC lawyers did not indicate in their checklist submitted to the court that they would cross examine other witnesses apart from Chilima and Mirriam Gwalidi.

“I am not sure if they erred but we were required to submit an amended checklist by 26 August which they did not.

“I was surprised that the Attorney General said he wanted to cross examine the third witness, Darlington Ndasauka, when he cannot,” said Chikosa later in an interview outside the court.

But Kaphale said he has documents to show as evidence that the MEC lawyers submitted the checklist to the court as required.