‘I do not want to commit myself’: Alfandika fails to answer questions in Malawi poll case

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chief elections officer Sam Alfandika on Friday failed to answer a number of questions during cross-examination in the ongoing elections case on  how presidential results for the May 21 2019 elections were managed.

The MEC boss appeared to lack answers on critical questions which lawyer Modecair Msisha, who is representing the second petitioner and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera, posed to him.

Msisha focused his  line of  questioning on steps which MEC commissioners took in trying to resolve some of the irregularities, which included 147 complaints [madando] lodged by candidates.

He also took pressed Alfandika on whether commissioners were giving feedback to political parties on how irregularities raised on a number of issues were resolved.

Senior Counsel Msisha also asked Alfandika on whether MEC commissioners had meetings aimed at resolving anomalies, where correction fluid Tippex was used to alter results.

“When the commission found out wide use of Tippex, did MEC discuss that?…Did the commissioners report the discussion on the issues of Tippex?” Msisha asked.

In response, Alfandika told the court that the commission resolved to deploy officers to investigate, and that the officers shared their findings.

However, he failed to answer a number of questions on other issues concerning the use of reserve tally sheets and on whether or not the tally sheets had similar security features to the normal ones.

Alfandika said: “My lady, my lords, I do not want to commit myself to answering these questions because elections were held a long time ago. I do not want to commit myself and end up giving a wrong answer.”

Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale on Wednesday presented to court the MEC defence theory of their case, saying Alfandika and other two witnesses to testify including about 700 sworn statements from their witnesses deposited with the court, willprove that contrary to the petition by UTM Party president Dr Saulos Chilima and Chakwera, the presidential election results were not rigged.

Alfandika will be in the witness box again on Monday, when Msisha will finish cross-examining him.