…money enough for 400 schools
…money enough to employ 2000 interns with full salary for a year
Money enough for almost 400 Schools is going to be paid in the bank accounts of Vice President Saulos Chilima and President Lazarus Chakwera who were the first and second petitioner in the election case, Malawi24 has on record.
In yet another landmark ruling, the High Court in Lilongwe has settled for an amount that taxpayers are expected to pay to the current President Lazarus Chakwera and his Vice Saulos Chilima respectively.
Initially, the amount had been billed at Mk9 billion. However, negotiations were entered into which have seen the scaling down of the figure with about MK2 billion.
According to the final figures that have been signed off by Registrar of the Judiciary Agness Patemba, first petitioner who is also Vice President Saulos Chilima will be paid MK2,314,184,550 (about U$3.1 million) as costs for the initial case.
The State President Lazarus Chakwera will walk away with the biggest sum. He has been awarded MK3,086, 203,890 (about U$4.2 million) in costs.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Electoral Commission and former President Peter Mutharika have been directly billed as well to pay Chakwera and Chilima. Mutharika has been billed MK877,760,000 (about U$1.1 million) as an appellant against the judgement of the High Court that was sitting as the Constitutional Court. The Electoral Commission has been billed MK726,463,920 (about U$975 thousand).
The total amount that the Chakwera and Chilima will receive will be MK7,004,612,360 (U$ 9,402,164.24).
Money enough to build 376 schools
Our research has established that the total amount that will be paid to the two, including from Mutharika, is enough to build a total of 376 schools in Malawi.
According to the website of Arup, a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides engineering, architecture, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment, building a school in Malawi costs MK18,625,000 (U$25,000).
Taking U$25000 as the standard total, 376 schools would therefore be built from the amount that the holders of the office of the Presidency will receive for successfully having the election nullified and then winning in the subsequent fresh election.
We have also established that the amount can be used to pay 2000 civil servants at Grade I, which is an entry grade for a Degree holder, for a year. Currently, there are over 4000 interns in the public service who are awaiting for employment from government. At a salary of at least MK260,000 per month, the money would cater for 200,000 of them for a year.
Thousands of hours were declared in a day
Meanwhile, it has been registered that in billing on the Court case, lawyers for the duo had billed thousands of hours in a day when a day naturally has 24 hours. The Court specifically pointed to 23 and 24 July where lawyers for the two claimed that they had done work for thousands of hours in just two days.
The Court struck off some of such costs and effectively brought the amount down to MK7 billion from MK9 billion which the two had demanded in costs.
Meanwhile, the two are expected to get their money in a maximum of 45 days from August 10.
