Malawi ex-election commissioner handed prison term

A former member of Malawi's electoral commission has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for failing to give way to a presidential convoy two years ago.

A court in the eastern city of Zomba found Linda Kunje guilty of instructing her driver to disregard police instructions to make way for a motorcade of the then newly elected President Lazarus Chakwera.

The driver, Jones Tewesa, was also found guilty of the same offence and will serve 15 months in prison.

Ms Kunje oversaw the 2019 presidential election which was annulled by the country's constitutional court because of irregularities, including the use of a correction fluid to tweak results.

Three years ago police arrested an ambulance driver for not giving way to the former president's convoy, but he was released without charge following a public outcry.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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