MEC fails to comply with court order on audit report: Petitioners to ask for compliance
The legal team of opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) would be making an application in the ongoing constitutional case , where MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera and UTM president Saulos Chilima are challenging results of the May 21 2019 presidential election, that Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) should comply with Constitutional Court order to submit an electoral audit report.
.The electoral body has failed to submit the audit report within July, as ordered by the court on June 27 2019 which required MEC to submit the report within 11 days—meaning this should have been done at least by July 12 2019.
UNDP hired international auditors to assist in the validation of the tally sheets in May elections. However, the Tipp-Exed tally sheets slipped through the hands of these ‘certified’ international auditors.
MEC could not question this anomaly on the back of the blind trust and confidence it had in UNDP—that hired the auditors.
The electoral body’s lawyer David Matumbika Banda said the audit has always been in the custody of the UNDP-Malawi, and it was on this basis that the court ordered MEC to ask UNDP in writing to furnish such information to the court.
Titus Mvalo, a member of the MCP legal team said the court told MEC to ask UNDP in writing to release that audit report to them for submission to court.
“And the court further advised that should they have any problems that UNDP is not releasing the report, it should inform the court. But as we gather, there is nothing so far,” he said.
Mvalo said the MCP legal team was considering filing an application to ensure they get the audit report at any cost.
The court, which granted MEC a five-day relief to conclude collection of sworn affidavits before trial starts on August 8 in this case where petitioners want presidential election results nullified, observed that the electoral body brought no evidence on whether or not it had contacted the UNDP-Malawi to access the report.
MEC , the court concluded, failed to obey its order for disclosure of the audit report.
President Peter Mutharika’s victory with a narrow margin of 3 percent of the votes cast over his closest opponent has been a subject of ridicule, suspicion and dispute. Only 38.57 percent of the people voted for Mutharia against Lazarus Chakwera’s 35.4 percent and 20 percent for UTM’s Saulos Chilima.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Is MEC an audit firm?
Mind international certified auditors were owner BDO but they employed uncertified people local people as auditors, some even without necessary qualifications and experience. So that was where the problem was.
ndi zitsiru kupanga zinthu mwaphuma anakupatsani 5 days palibe chimene mwapanga olo anakakupatsa 5 years palibe chimene akanapanga
MEC, why rush to get signatures from presiding officers when you are unable to submit critical documents to clear yourself from the courts. This is a silly organization led by the best fools.
Koma kumeneko madam Jane Tippex Madando Ansah alibe chonena kapena chichita
Mbava izi , all the vote rigging tricks were started by this thief called Bakili Muluzi Wa Kubayo, it has been a wrong start of Malawi’s democracy to have put Wakuba Bakili Muluzi as the first democratic leader for Malawi, that’s the reason Malawi is being ruled by thieves who are all corrupt.
We made the biggest mistake electing Muluzi. Huge mistake. Kamuzu mentioned the dark side of multi-party. Nearly 26 years now we are paying for mistake we made.
if the audit is not available where else do you expect mec to get one…
Nzeru inu mulibetu. Typical DPP people. Nzeru zero!
Bambo Wawathu – chemalembo ali nanu limodzi.
We are attentively pursuing all affairs.
Atipatse mapepala omwe analembedwa mavoti athu kuti anapambana ndi APM ma auditors anagwira ntchito yotamandika monga momwe amawatamandira Mai Madando, kusabvutenso ma auditors kuchitidwa audit akulu akulu aaaah!
What dows this mean now