Court acquits gun toting ex-MP Mtelemuka

Blantyre Magistrates Court has acquitted former Member of Parliament (MP) for Blantyre City south East Constituency Jeffrey Mtelemuka on misdemeanour charge of intimidation, his lawyer has confirmed.

Mtelemuka was found with case to answer for allegedly threatening his nephew Frank Kambalame 37, and threatened to kill him after the two quarrelled over a piece of land in Bangwe Township, Blantyre.

He threatened to kill his Kambalame using a licensed pump gun he brags about so often in public.

The former lawmaker was acquitted by the First Grade Magistrate, Diana Mangwana on June 18 2014 after the State failed its prosecution case.

He was charged with acts of intimidation, using a dangerous weapon, contrary to Section 88 (1) of the Penal Code.

His lawyer Michael Chipeta confirmed to Nyasa Times in an interview that the court freed his client.

“The State paraded four witnesses including the complainant, and the court found their evidence contradicting with two of the witnesses testifying they did not see my client using any gun to threaten the complainant,” explained Chipeta.

He added: “The court upheld our argument that the evidence tendered in court by the State failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that my client intimidated or threatened to kill the complainant. It was indicated that he was not intimidating anybody, as matter of fact, the two were arguing.”

According to the two of the State witnesses, Mtelemuka did not have a gun at the time the incident happened. And it was noted in court that police recovered the gun at his house and not on the scene of the incident.

Mtelemuka was accused of threatening to kill Kambalame using a licensed pump gun he brags about so often in public.

Some of the prosecution witnesses who testified against Mtelemuka included Chileka Police Sub-Inspector Stetson Mataka, the then arresting officer, who was in-charge of Bangwe Police team that repossessed the gun from the legislator’s residence in Chigumula, and Davie Mtete, Southern Region Police Senior Prosecution Officer (SPO).

According to Police report, the heated argument between Mtelemuka and Kambalame ensued on the night of August 23, 2012, and the latter was severely beaten by the Parliamentarian.

In an interview with local media, Kambalame claimed Mtelemuka also abused him verbally that he will die poor despite working with him during his 2009 political campaign.

Mtelemuka once made headlines when he told members of the District Advisory Committee for Blantyre that he carries a gun in his car because people are “disrespectful” and he wants “to be respected”.

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