Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Malawi Anti-bribery Protests Draw Thousands

Agence France-Presse

   LILONGWE, MALAWI - Tens of thousands of Malawians took part in protests
   on Thursday at alleged attempts to bribe judges overseeing a legal
   challenge to the re-election last year of President Peter Mutharika.

   People took to the streets after the country's chief justice charged
   that the five judges presiding over the case had been offered
   kickbacks.

   The complaint, which was filed to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on
   Monday, prompted a call for demonstrations in Malawi's three main
   cities.Around 50,000 people gathered in the capital,Lilongwe, with
   smaller rallies in Blantyre and Mzuzu.They braved the rain and stood
   vigil outside parliament. Many wore white T-shirts printed with "ACB
   name and arrest the bribers now."

   Opposition leaders say the May 21 poll, which saw Mutharika narrowly
   beat runner-up candidate Lazarus Chakwera, was marred by fraud.

   In August, they petitioned Malawi's top court to annul the
   results--thefirst timepresidential election results have been legally
   challenged since the country gained independence from Britain in 1964.

   Call for 'justice'

   Gift Trapence, head of a watchdog group called the Human Rights
   Defenders Coalition (HRDC), said his organization was pressuring ACB
   head Reyneck Matemba to seek "justice."

   "We metMr.Matemba yesterday and we told him that the taxpayers want the
   culprits exposed and arrested," Trapence,whose group organized the
   protests,told the rally in Lilongwe."We told him that if they sue the
   ACB, we, the taxpayers, will pay."

.