Vice President Saulos Chilima has disclosed that he helped the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rig 2014 Malawi elections and that Nicholas Dausi set MEC warehouse on fire to destroy implicating evidence.
The UTM torchbearer in the forthcoming presidential elections made the remarks during a series of whistle stop tours he undertook in the Northern Region.
His hair-raising revelations came on the heels of a break in at the Malawi Electoral Commission Regional Offices located in Area 3 in Lilongwe where Chilima said CCTV cameras and other electoral related materials were stolen.
The Vice President said the ruling DPP orchestrated the 30-April break in at MEC offices as part of a scheme to rig the 2019 elections.
Chilima implied that his experience with DPP in rigging the previous elections were conclusive enough to know who was behind the recent break in at the electoral commission.
He then challenged the ruling party to sue him if his claims were unsubstantiated.
Chilima knows what caused MEC fire
“We are not surprised; it is DPP who has stolen cameras at MEC because it is the same DPP who had set fire at MEC warehouse in 2014 led by Nicholas Dausi. If they want to sue me they should do so, we shall meet in court,” Chilima said.
MEC has rubbished Chilima’s claims that things connected to the May 21 elections have been stolen.
“The burglars managed to open a window and cut bars. There were footprints indicating that they entered inside but did not get away with anything noticeable. All tempting items like computers, unmounted television screen, radio and small items were found intact” reads a statement issued by the Electoral Commission to “categorically dispel rumours” that three computers and cameras (CCTV) were stolen.
“The burglars disengaged the cables to the CCVT system but did not steal the cameras. We suspect they might have pulled off the cables to avoid being captured on cameras” said the Commission.
The ruling party it will not honor Chilima with a comment to his allegations.
“We cannot be answering to everything Chilima is saying, then it will not be a campaign. He (Chilima) has the right to speak what he wants. Let him continue,” said Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi who Chilima had singled out.
The Malawi Electoral Commission warehouse was gutted by fire on the night of July 15 2014, weeks after the 2014 tripartite elections.
Property that was lost in the fire included ballot papers for Lilongwe City South East where one of the candidates had challenged the results of the polls.
The Malawi Congress Party suspected foul play but a report released by MEC in 2015 ruled out arson as the cause of the fire.
