By Sam Sotta
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-An impeccable source has revealed that Warehouse Manager at the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Diverson Makwete has been sent on what they are calling administrative leave following a court ruling on June 22 that he must be investigated by Police for possible perjury.
The source also reveal that there is growing worry at MEC that Makwete could be used as the sacrificial lamb by MEC as the organization struggles for its last life in the ongoing case at the Constitutional court.
On June 22 this year, when the Constitutional Court made a ruling on whether UTM President, Saulos Chilima and his MCP counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera, had a valid case against MEC, it also ruled that Police must investigate Diverson Makwete for possible perjury.
The court established that in his sworn statement, Makwete said he deposited all election materials including left over ballot papers; log books; original signed forms and all related records about the May 21 tripartite election with Clerk of Parliament as is required by law.
This however proved not to be the case upon checking with the Clerk of Parliament meaning that Makwete had possibly lied under oath, which a serious offense punishable under law.
According to the source, Makwete did not just wake up and decided to lie to the court in his sworn statement.
He did it after thorough consultations with MEC lawyers and officials who have formed the axis of this grand conspiracy to conceal the real truth about the May 21 tripartite elections.
He said an ad-hoc meeting was held in Lilongwe on October 17 apparently to discuss Makwete’s fate, particularly in regard to the Constitutional Court ruling over his sworn statement.
“At the meeting, Makwete was told to go on an administrative leave to make it look like he has been suspended pending investigations as per court ruling. He was however assured that the Police are under instruction not to conduct any investigations on him, not now and not in the future,” said the source, adding that he was assured this action is only meant to decisive the court into believing that its determination is being implemented.
However, the source said some people at MEC are worried over how Mr Makwete is being treated after carrying out instruction from his seniors to lie under oath.
Added the source: “Right now we are worried about Makwete’s future at the Commission and we know that even his life is in danger. We know he is walking loose cannon that can be eliminated anytime, at least going by how others in similar positions have ended up since the disputed May 21 polls. For example, Makwete was told to lie that all the original form 66s were deposited with the Clerk of Parliament when we all know at the commission that all the original forms were destroyed and that what we have and even what our lawyers are displaying at the court are all scanned and tampered with copies that are reflecting different results and not how people voted.”
The source also reveals that there are currently two camps at MEC; one camp supports President Peter Mutharika and the DPP whereas the other camp does not and is advocating for the unveiling of the truth about what happened on May 21.
“The camp which supports President Mutharika is the one which has ‘eaten’ a lot of money from the ruling party and is headed by Commissioner Jean Mathanga and also enjoys the support of Chairperson, Jane Ansah. The other camp wants the truth about the DPP rigging scheme known to the public, and it is this camp which is willing to support the court process with all the evidence about the plan to rig and conceal the truth to the public,” said the source.
“Some of us are prepared to supply all the documents that are available at our disposal to let the world know the truth about what really happened in the May 21 general elections. We have original copies of form 66 result sheets from some constituencies that were scanned and tweaked to indicate different results other than how people voted. A good example is results from Mulanje Central Constituency where originals indicated different winners in the parliamentary and presidential races than what MEC declared. We will be releasing these documents into the public domain soon so that people must know what happened,” added the source.
This is the latest in a string of revelations that are coming into the public domain as lawyers representing the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and President Peter Mutharika continue to lose a lot of legal space in the ongoing election case at the Constitutional Court.
According to some legal experts, Makwete will likely be subpoenaed by the court to be cross examined by lawyers representing Chilima and Chakwera.
