Police extract Msungama’s mobile phone data: ‘Malawi WhatsApp coup plot’

The Malawi Police Service has handed back mobile handset Samsung Galaxy S4 with extracted data, to Ulemu Msungama which was impounded during his arrest as among three opposition MCP politicians accused of planning to unseat President Peter Mutharika is dissent from various sections of the society.

Msungama has confirmed that indeed the Police have given him his phone but the data including call history, texts and contacts have been removed.

He said content in his phone was extracted and Whatsapp has been deleted.

Deputy MCP Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka said police conduct was a breach of Msungama’s rights.

“The phone has been tampered,” he said.

Police arrested Msungama and he was letter released after spending a night at Kanengo Police notorious holding cells.

He was arrested for allegedly plotting a coup through a WhatsApp conversation.

Rights groups think the arrests are politically motivated.

Malawi has no technology to do surveillance on WhatsApp and other social media.

However, the police say they have arrested MCP executive Ulemu Msungama, spokesperson Jessie Kabwila and the party’s legal adviser Peter Chakwantha, after they received a tip about a WhatsApp chat discussing how to unseat Mutharika.

One of the WhatsApp conversations, they say that President Mutharika can be taken down the same way former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was removed from power.

Generally, conversations cantered on ways to address social and economic problems Malawi currently faces.

Msungama stood in Lilongwe City North East parliamentary election in the May 2014 polls and lost to Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Bentley Namasasu, but is challenging the results in court.