NGO says piece-meal arrests amount to political persecution: Cdedi pens Attorney General
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has written the Attorney General (AG), Dr Chikosa Silungwe, expressing its shock with the way the State apparatus is handling suspects believed to have committed multiple offences during the immediate former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.
While congratulating the government chief legal advisor for demonstrating high caliber of professionalism and independence in discharging his duties, CDEDI executive director Sylvester Namiwa says they are saddened with the way the law enforcement agencies have handled suspects such as the former President Peter Mutharika’s personal bodyguard, Norman Paulosi Chisale, and a DPP councillor Isaac Jomo Osman.
Chisale and Osman have both been arrested four times and three times back to back, respectively.
Namiwa emphasizes that although there is nothing unlawful to arrest people several times, but they still believe it is an infringement on the suspects’ human rights, as well as psychological torture to keep on arresting them consecutively!
“Such tendencies which are currently being displayed by the law enforcement agencies are giving an impression of political persecution, and they are reflecting very badly on the Tonse Alliance administration, for which you, sir, are its chief legal advisor.
“We do not want to believe that your office, sir, has given the node for such tendencies to be executed by the security agencies. If indeed such tendencies do not have the blessing of your office, sir, then we are afraid that we have law enforcement agencies in the country which do not respect the office of the Attorney General, a development that will in the long run plunge the country into crisis,” writes Namiwa in the letter, which Nyasa Times has seen.
However, he reiterates the earlier stand of his organisation that government reserves the right and liberty to prosecute all the people that contravened the law without fear or favour.
But Namiwa fears the consecutive arrests have the potential to bring fear in the hearts of many peace-loving Malawians.
“We further do not want to have a feeling that Malawi is now drifting into a police state, and neither should we be made to remember the dark past of the infamous one-party regime which was known for detentions.
“It is against this background that we write your good office to consider advising the prosecuting agencies to consolidate all the charges for all the suspects to avoid attracting unnecessary fear and panic. The consolidation of charges has been done in the past where suspects were brought to court with multiple offences and they were charged consecutively,” he stresses.
“It is our hope, therefore, that your swift intervention on this matter, and subsequent matters of similar nature in future, will continue to earn the respect it deserves, and that the public will continue to have trust in the credibility of the office of the Attorney General. As things are, however, your office risks losing its credibility since we are made to believe that this perceived political prosecution has the blessings of the government’s Chief Legal Advisor, in this case the Attorney General,” he adds.
However, Namiwa commends the AG for high levels of professionalism and independence in the way he has discharged his duties since his appointment two months ago.
The CDEDI boss says, of late, Silungwe has brought a new lease of life to this office.
“We at CDEDI have in mind your timely advice to the Office of the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) where you fearlessly condemned it for making appointments that contravened the law. You also recently advised the Presidential Committee on COVID-19 not to implement preventive measures which were stopped by the court through an injunction.
“This has made CDEDI, and indeed all like-minded institutions, specifically the public to have trust in the credibility of the AG’s office,” says Namiwa.
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Useless bungwe and he is a tyre kicker
Nayenso anakangopalamula milandu yonseyo nthawi imodzi.
We have no time for that useless research.
With time muchira.We new leadership in town and let them arrest anyone as many as they want depending on what they committed.We don’t have a threshold in terms of arresting.Limbani mtima basi maso patsogolo
This guy known as Namiwa of CDEDI does not know what is really writing about. This Bungwe must be closed up immediately because he simply wants to make his name popular for nothing.You cannot support people who had stolen taxpayers money. Dr Silungwe Chikosa is totally different from Kaphale since he has many vital issues on his table to be handled and not what Slyvester is writing. Close this bungwe off! Never give him any response.
Atopa tindalama anamugayila a DPP tikatha. 2 MONTHS down 58 MONTHS to go.
U dictator uja nde umenewu malume.
Some of these briefcase NGOs should just be shut…kungofuna potchukila, we have many problems as a nation and yet you choose to speak for a criminal?? why not for the poor and less privileged? do they even know how much money this Chisale has accumulated within 5 years of DPP reign?
Why should a peace-loving Malawian fear?
All those afraid know what they did and it is surely going to catch up with them.
Ife ma peace lovers tili pheeee, tikudya katatu pomwe wina akumangidwa katatu.
On the other note, munthuyu azipumako ways musanamumangeso.
malawi police fiscal department should investigate this Namiwa, it seems he is operating his pocket cso under directive of dpp or thieves. if criminals are not funding him and he is making all this noise out of free will then he is pure description of insane chanco graduate
Mr Namiwa… what are you trying to achieve? When Norman Chisale was committing those crimes he must have known that one day it will all come to bite him. The fact that he applied for an exemption from further arrests proves how many crimes he committed. As you have clearly said….’these arrests are NOT UNLAWFUL ‘ so let justice be served. Thank you.
za ziii. iyeyo popamula milanduyo bwanji sanangopalamula pamodzi kuti a polisi asavutike?
the crimes were committed in bits and the arrest have to be in bits.
kaya zikwana thousand no problem.
munkadya nawo etii!!!
It seems Mr. Namiwa wants to make a name just like Timothy Mtambo he cannot will not match the later because it like you do not want dpp to account for the gross mismanagement of the country. Let those who stole the money pay for the wrong doing. Do you really know how many people died as result of dpp stealing taxes meant for the hospitals? Do you know how many people died on the poor roads of Malawi just because someone in dpp stole taxes meant for the roads? Do you know the effects of poor standards in schools? If you do not provide good education you are killing the nation. These days there is no Theba which employed people with less education. So Mr. Namiwa talk of things that will improve Malawi and do not defend the criminals in dpp and bed fellows udf. 60% of the Malawians voted for change. We do not want the dpp and udf back.
Sylvester Namiwa! How old are you? You got balls man! […anyway, namiwa has to eat! …..his paymaster is norman paulosi chisale and idiot arthur peter mutharika! I get it. Thanks.]
What is wrong to with this Namiwa?Is he out of mind?Some of these NGOs are really baffling me.
Arresting people alleged to have broken the law is not a bone of contention here but indeed the manner in which these arrests have been carried out or continued to be carried out is what many natural people quetion about. Imagine after bail is successful and another arrest is effected before walking away from remand prison , all these done four times consecutively. Why doing this as if charges delayed after walking away on bail become redundant or expire or rotten? Someone somewhere in the then opposition brushed shoulders against Chisale during his good old days and the matter has become personal. That someone now in the top inner circle of Chakwera/Chilima is pulling the strings because this is not normal and has never happened before in the history of the dark days of this country.
It will happen again and again just wait. Your boss Chisale did not use his brains. Chisale could have been arrested after each crime but he was untouchable. He will end up like Lutepo.
It’s a lesson to others that when they are in government they should not abuse others.they should follow government policies
It is as simple as ABC. They committed several crimes so why should they not be arrested several times. This NGO is useless and another useless person is Chisale’s lawyer. How can a kawyer go to court to ask that his client should not be arrested again? These guys disregarded the law. Remember live by the sword, die by sword!
I do not agree, if a criminal commits multiple crimes he or she will be arrested multiples times. Why should public panic with that Mr Namiwa? It’s you not us who is panicking? Rains come multiple times don’t worry.
As much as I respect your opinion let’s put politics aside when it comes to law enforcement. Don’t make us believe that the people in question are being persecuted. Assume the enforcement agencies are acting based on tipoff that come in bits, how do they consolidate their cases? Are you telling this nation that when tipoff come they should wait until next tipoff come for the sake of consolidating their cases. Do you want the AG to interfere in the operation of law enforcement agencies, that is what the previous adminstration was booted out. The law must be followed. All tipoff investigations are not planned by law enforcement agencies that’s why they are tipoff. Leave the police alone. What’s your interest in the arrest of these two gentlemen??? If they are suspended to have broken the law let’s them be responsible for their actions whether 20 times. Don’t mislead people here.
Yes – some people are outraged by the cockroach but ignore the elephant in the room.