Kunje (in dress) during a court appearance
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has said former MEC Commissioner Linda Kunje’s driver Jones Tewesa is not eligible for parole even though Kunje was pardoned by President Lazarus Chakwera.
The Revelation follows public’s uproar on the matter. The citizenry has been demanding answers from the government on its basis for pardoning Kunje while leaving her former driver Jones Tewesa to serve his sentence.
Speaking to the local media, Nyirenda said the driver does not satisfy conditions as set out in the pardon guidelines. He argued that Kunje was granted a presidential pardon due to her poor medical condition.
Kunje and Tewesa were sentenced in August for obstructing a presidential convoy. The former was supposed to spend 18 months in jail for the offence while the latter is serving a 15 months jail term.
The former MEC commissioner’s pardon does not sit well with most Malawians. People believe she has been freed because she is an elite.
“The driver did what he did on his boss’s instructions. The only reason he has not been pardoned is because he is a commoner,” reads a comment.
Kunje has been released this festive season, after spending less than four months in jail. She is one of 230 beneficiaries of the presidential prerogative this year.
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