State drop charges against Abiti Manice for calling Malawi President ‘demented’
The State has said it will not prosecute United Transformation Movement (UTM) social- media activist Manes Winnie Hale on charges of insulting President Peter Mutharika and has entered a discontinuance in the matter before Lilongwe Magistrate Court.
Hale, 44, well known on Facebook with the name ‘Abiti Manice Dawood’ was arrested last week at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe when she was about to catch a flight back to the US where she is based and works as a nurse in Maryland.
Police took her to court where she was formally charged for a colonial-era insult law, which quotes heavy fines and up to two years in jail for those who air or publish material that insults or disrespects the President.
Hale pleaded “not guilty” to a charge of ‘publishing some writings [on Facebook] making reference to the president as being a liar, a thief and being demented.”
The offence is covered in Section 4 of the Pebal Code.
However, her lead attorney Dr Chikosa Silungwe said the charges were frivolous or vexatious.
Manice trial had been due to begin on September 6 before Mangistrate Viva Nyimba but on Monday prosecution applied before the court for the discontinue of the case.
This then means Abiti Manice is free and can proceed to her base in the US.
She has claimed to be related to the Mutharikas, saying her mother was a sister to the late first lady Ethel, who was the late president Bingu wa Mutharika’s first wife.
Her arrest comes within days of President Mutharika publicly stating that Section 4 of the Protected Flag, Emblems and Names Act could be used to prosecute those he accused of insulting him.
Patricia Kaliati, a UTM interim secretary general, described Hale’s arrest as political retribution.
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MA DUNDERHEADS THICC BRAINS OUR POLICE FORCE FRM HEAD TO TOP. mwangoxiyayalusapo apa. a US aziwa kuti munthu wao mwamuimisa ulendo pa nkhani zombula mutu. koma mitu yanu yazwetadi ndithu,
asiyeni anthu acite zomw akufuna not kutilamula kuti tisalankhule zoona. then stich all our mouths then. mukusowa ncito yogwila. mukunya muona
many peolple goin against cilima are just mare lazy bastards and whores omwe safuna kupenyula maso nkuona tsogolo. koma basi kumangati yakaliyakali phwiiii mma ofesimu . kubwera mocedwa kuncito kuweluka nsamga . no job done. why cant be serious and work? during kamuzu era ndani amakafika ku ofesi 10 kloko olo kuweluka 2 kloko a pumbwa inu.
pano cili cose cangoima all wat we see is azibambo ma suit yandayanda mma galimoto obebha kumangozungulila mma townmu, azimai ku ma shoping mall mbina tuktuku OBESITY yadzaza mmalawi munoyi eish? kucita kunyasa eti. mabwana ati. kkkkkkkkk wish you all had known. SALVAGES.
jkf and others.
one must understand the starting point if we are to engage in meaningful debate here. that starting point is that manice is an innocent person. the state arrested her took her to court in the hope of proving that she’s guilty of some offence. they have withdrawn the charge. manice continues to be innocent. she has no need to prove that she is innocent. or not guilty. on the other hand the state has to prove that they arrested her for a good reason. I am sure many will agree that now that the allegations leading to her arrest have been withdrawn it will be difficult if not impossible to prove that she is not innocent. that there was good cause for her arrest.
maganizo chabe.
Ha ha ha! Malamulo achi federal avutapo basi.
A few months ago government arrested Kabwila and others on Facebook related charges which were later dropped. They then arrest Abiti on similar charges which we are told have been dropped, Is it amnesia on the part of DPP? Didn’t the IG know about this? The police is being run by incompetents.
She should sue these pumbwas for character assassination, emotional distress and lost wages.
She could successfully sue for character assassination if she were acquitted by the court of law. Pa Malawi pa zaza anthu openda mzeru.
if she sues them it will be our money that will be paid to her not dpp money. These dpp fools are doing stupid things knowing that if they are sued they will use tax payer’s money for compersation. Fooooools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Locals are saying her’s is a Pyrrhic victory: wainonabe Bangwe ngakhale pang’ono. And her experiences, especially the short stay in prison, will be etched in her memory.
But, what benefit is there when her case may is as an outsider influencing Chilima and the Bus Company, UTM? The usefulness becomes dubious when her Party is destined to LOSE the elections next year. And who knows what penalties or sanctions she will pay at her job, for the unwise and reckless adventure?
Abale, don’t get fooled. Chilima is just NOT presidential, not because of, but rather in spite of being VP for the past four years. He does NOT look Presidential; he does not present himself Presidential and his ideas are simply out of this world.
People are just letting Chilima get rid of some steam. He won’t get elected President, and his Party may win two Parliamentary seats basi – like Akweni and Lucius Banda. And, to be sure, if their wins will be their own personal victories, rather than attributed to Chilima Baby.
You are one delusional guy I have never heard in this civilised world, Chilima’s manifesto are very doable if you have an ambition, people with no ambitions like you are the one’s we don’t need in our society and yes he will win 2019 elections, Abiti Manice is an agency worker in the US , which means she goes go work as she pleases, she is her own boss, obviously you don’t know what that means that’s why you are talking about her getting penalised and get sanctioned, she wasn’t charged, get it in your big empty head apikene..
Archaic and archive leadership. That’s what it entails . Using emotions and not brains . Mutharika is a tragedy to malwi
DPP Strategists should be fired . How should they keep on embarrassing the govt ?????
Saw this coming! go get ur air ticket from the state and ur laywer fees will be paid for by OPC! clueless dpp
That’s what happens when you are surrounded by sycophants like small meat Pumbwa Ben Phiri, old bones Pumbwa George Chimangagate Thyapatula Chaponda, the first most public money thief Brown Sugar Mpinganyere and State house looting bodyguard Chisale.
Dementia rising?
Hahahahahahahahaha DPP govt, it means she can easily gate money out of this hahahahah DPP govt , by the way , what is the role of Attorney General ? Chilima’s security issue, now Manesi Issue…. has to be questioned by the President.
I think we should be praising APM for the gesture. Kusayamika munthu wankulu akakhululuka ndikusowa khalidwe.
@ Noxy
Chicken brain at it again. Praising who ? That’s stupid. We told you that the decision to arrest her was stupid but you sycophants never understood . What is it to praise the inept mutharika for?. Do you understand the implications of the whole things now? There are legal fees to be paid here . Issues of unlawful arrest etc and the bills for these will go to the tax payer. I think you are simply careless buddy . Write again
Paliso zoyamika apa? dont u know that its now the government which is loosing ,only if the lady can turn against the government for her unlawfully arrest?
This government is so careless and does not care about the consquences of their behaviour.
You see now. Kofi Annan 80, dead. John McCain 81, dead. Aretha Franklin, 76, dead. Fuel gauge is at E for APM. Callista adanena mwakalamba siyilani a full tank izi.
Support to big man.This is asign of dementia…….Whos gona pay her damages?Pitala are sure you’re qualified lawyer?Shame on our President.
The only good thing about this lady is that she is beautiful. Koma ma khalidwe a u Calistawa ukanasiya zikanakupatsa ulemu. Zokumangazo ndizakubanja kwanu. amangofuna ulawe ndagala pang’ono
Bola ndege inakuthawa
There’s ndege everyday from Malawi. Kumudzi nkuti?
The current government is truly tolerant. People lost lives, jobs and various freedoms for insulting Kamuzu and Bakili Muluzi. I remember late Dumbo Lemani invading the Times group and Mavuto Banda spending time in the cooler – not withstanding people dined by crocodiles. Thanks to Yoswa, Yoswa, Yoswa for displaying high levels of tolerance.
Surely this behaviour is demonstrable sign of dementia in the presidency! I mean it seems like one blunder after another by this old man who is clearly not in charge of his party and its actions. I think its high time he stepped down. Now if Manice Hale decided to sue for wrongful arrest etc…. who will end up paying her? Taxpayers.
Koma pano pali anthu odziwa law kikikiki. Monga inu a biggy a law, do you see the law allowing Manice to sue the government on the charges of wrongful arrest? Is Manice acquitted by the court on the charges that were raised by the prosecuting team? The title of this article is clear, “The State Frees Manice……..” And it’s clear from the article that the State has just decided to “DISCONTINUE” the case, and I repeat “DICONTINUE”. Does this clear Manice of all the charges so that she can sue the State on wrongful arrest? Manice is not innocent to all the charges leveled against her. Therefore, she cannot legally sue the State on this case. Shaaaaa ulemu wanu a BigMan. Inu ndi munthu wamkulu pankhani zamalamulozi hahahaha.
BTW, it’s the State that has the last laugh here lol. I know you can’t see it because you are BigMan wa law. Just think of it, you get arrested, dragged to court and get charged. And before you are cleared by the court, your prosecutor just discontinues the case while the charges are still hanging up there. Do you know what that will mean to you?
Who told you that Manice is guilty of anything? Which court has found her to be guilty? She can obviously sue if she wanted, and the government knows it wasn’t going to win the case because at the end of the day Manice has freedom of expression.
Government cant just use the police to harass someone for political reasons and then get away with it, not in a democracy.
And who says that Manice is guilty of anything? Me? Reread my comment mR. biGmaN. By the way do your remember the Kabwira arrest and her MCP member? The case was discontinued. And do you think Kabwera did want to sue the State?
What have you achieved, you only managed to attract negative publicity by arresting her.
Talk of raising the profile of some lady we never knew existed. Now she will sue for wrongful arrest and detention and there goes the tax payers money.