BLANTYRE--The Mzuzu High Court in Malawi has thrown out opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) application to be involved in a case of parliamentarians crossing the floor, The Nation reported.

The party mid this year wrote the Speaker to declare vacant seats of 46 MPs , contending they crossed the floor contrary to the Constitution’s Section 65.

Speaker Henry Chimunthu Banda, however, argued that the case lacked satisfactory evidence before DPP did a fresh application which caused panic among other parliamentarians including Joseph Tembo, Juliana Mphande, Ackim Mwanza, Nasrini Pillane and Jones Chingola who later obtained an injunction restraining the speaker from ruling on DPP’s second application.

The legislators urged that the Speaker couldn't act on the matter he'd already acted upon.

However, the court ordered an interparty hearing and the DPP made an application to join the case as amicus curie.

Justice Dingiswayo Madise, in his ruling, objected to the DPP application, noting it lacked sufficient interest in the case.

Madise observed that the DPP wanted to join the case to be heard as a petitioner who moved the Speaker to invoke Section 65.

“DPP simply want to be heard, claiming that they are directly affected by the outcome of the case,” Madise is quoted as saying by the daily paper.

He wants a judicial review within 21 days.
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(c) The Maravi Post 2012. Reproduction without acknowledgement prohibited

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