There’s a twist in the tale to the saga of arrested lawyer, Stanley Chirwa, who is still under police custody in Lilongwe. This, after Chirwa has charged that the MCP government is targeting him for dragging its secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka to court over corruption allegations.
Chirwa, who is part of a Lilongwe-based law firm, S & M Lawyers & Associates, was arrested on Friday 26th of April, 2024 over possession of a Ford Ranger motor vehicle that was stolen at a gunpoint in South Africa back in 2018.
Initially, Chirwa was expected to be brought before a court of law of competent jurisdiction on Monday 29th April 2024 to be formally charged for his detention. However this has not happened, prompting him to ask for Malawi Human Rights Commission’s (MHRC) intervention.
In the letter seen by this publication and copied to the United States Ambassador to Malawi, the British High Commissioner to Malawi, and all Civil Society Organizations in Malawi, the legal practitioner is against his prolonged detention which he described as “unlawful”.
Chirwa has told MHRC that he believes his arrest is a result of his involvement in cases of individuals and organizations that seem to be against the Tonse Administration and he accuses the state agents of using resources as a tool of oppression against the pursuit of justice.
Among other cases, Chirwa is representing the Forum for National Development and Centre for Mindset Change which is demanding information on corruption allegations against Eseinhower Mkaka.
“I have sufficient reasons to believe that this act of impunity by the state is a deliberate ploy to frustrate my efforts in contributing to the delivery of justice in matters where some public figures and Civil Society Organizations who are perceived to be opponents of the current regime are interested parties.
“Most notably, I’ve been actively involved in the following matters: 1. Criminal Case Number 1330 of 2023, The Republic Vs Norman Chisale involving complaints by the Current Minister of Justice, Director of Public Prosecutions, and Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau amongst others. 2. Various criminal matters involving Mr Bon Kalindo, a civil and political rights activist who is a fierce critic of the Government,” said Chirwa in the letter.
He further complained that this happened when he duly provided to police with all the required information about the said motor vehicle, which included a copy of a Police clearance issued by the Malawi Police Service and a copy of a Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate that indicated that the said vehicle does not belong to him.
In the letter, he has also cautioned the state and its agents on being used as tools of oppression against perceived political opponents, saying in the current political dispensation, respect for human rights and the rule of law ought to be paramount.
