DPP, CSOs mediation date in Blue Night case yet to be set

The High Court registry in Zomba is yet to set a date on the mediation that it ordered between civil society organisations (CSOs) and ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over the repayment of K13.5 million which some parastatals donated to a fundraising initiative of the party dubbed Blue Night on July 29 last year.

On March 13 this year, Judge Zione Ntaba ruled that  that four CSOs—Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Youth and Society (YAS), Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) and Church and Society of the Synod of Livingstonia—have sufficient interest to demand the repayment of K13.5 million and directed that the two parties to take the matter for mediation to be conducted by Justice Redson Kapindu.

Ntaba dismissed the party’s application to discharge the case and demanded the DPP to reimbursethe money it solicited from parastatal organisations.

The judge  further ordered that should mediation fails, the matter shall continue in court on June 16 2018.

However, lawyers for CSOs and DPP, Wesley Mwafulirwa and Chimwemwe Sikwese respectively, said the date was yet to be set.

Malawi Law Society (MLS) president Mwiza Nkhata,  who is an associate professor of law at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College in Zomba, said this was mandatory under the Civil Procedure Rules and a case can only go to trial when mediation fails.

The party collected the funds from Blantyre City Council (BCC) and Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), among others.

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