President Bakili Muluzi on Thursday became the first sitting Malawi president to appear before a court of law in the country’s 39 years as an independent state.
Muluzi testified in the Principal Resident Magistrate’s Court in the capital city Lilongwe, against opposition leader Gwanda Chakuamba, who has been accused of forging his signature. Chakuamba, president of the Malawi Congress Party and his
secretary, Grace Mhango have denied the charges.
Muluzi’s testimony watched by scores of his supporters, lasted more than three hours. He told Magistrate Chifundo Kachale it was not his signature on a letter describing how to buy votes from opposition lawmakers to support his bid to change the consitution to allow him a third term in office.
Malawi’s ruling party, the United Democratic Front is pushing for a constitutional amendment to allow Muluzi to contest the presidency for a third term, when his second five-year term ends in 2004.
Whoever forged his signature did it out of malice to injure his personal reputation, Muluzi said. When questioned about his interest in the third term campaign, Muluzi became visibly annoyed and refused to answer.
”I am here to testify whether or not I signed this letter,” he said.
Defence lawyers complained to the magistrate that they felt intimidated because whenever they asked the president a question, Muluzi’s supporters booed and jeered.
Wearing a black suit, Muluzi had earlier arrived at the court in a luxury German car with cabinet ministers, government officials and a horde of supporters in tow.
The case was postponed to April 3 when more witnesses are expected to testify. An unruffled Muluzi took time to greet defence lawyers after the court adjourned and even shared a joke with Chakuamba.
Talking to journalists, Muluzi said he had testified to show he respected the rule of law. ”Malawi’s democracy has pillars and one of them is the judiciary. I am citizen number one and I thought I should set an example. I’m not above the law. In any case I wasn’t on trial,” he said.
He joked about his grilling by defence lawyers and said: ”As lawyers do, they had a field day today. But I enjoyed it.”
As the president drove away from the courthouse his supporters cheered him and chanted ”Aimanso! Aimanso” (”He will stand again! He will stand again.”)
Security was tight with anybody entering the court thoroughly frisked. A group of the ruling party’s militant youth, notorious for beating up Muluzi’s opponents, was present but there were no incidents. – Sapa-AP