Activist Agape Khombe has been arrested and remanded at Maula Prison after being accused of cyberbullying private practice lawyer Edgar Kachere, in a case now centred on explosive Facebook posts linking the lawyer to a controversial property transaction involving Malawian football star Tabitha Chawinga.
State prosecutor Prescott Mwayiulipo confirmed Khombe was taken into custody last Wednesday, before being formally charged on Friday with offensive communication and cyberstalking under the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act.
Facebook posts at heart of case
According to Mwayiulipo, the charges stem directly from a series of Facebook posts made by Khombe, in which he alleged that lawyer Kachere had duped footballer Tabitha Chawinga during a transaction involving the purchase of a house in Lilongwe.
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Khombe's bid for bail was firmly rejected, with Mwayiulipo revealing that the activist had previously absconded bail conditions in an earlier, unrelated defilement case -- a history that appears to have weighed heavily against him in the court's decision to keep him behind bars.
Khombe is being represented by lawyer Viva Nyimba, who has so far declined to comment on the case.
The arrest is likely to reignite debate over the boundaries between legitimate online activism, public accusation and criminal cyberstalking in Malawi, particularly given Khombe's public profile as an activist and the high-profile nature of the individuals named in his posts.
With Khombe now remanded at Maula Prison, attention turns to when the case will next appear before the courts, and whether further details of the alleged house transaction involving Kachere and Chawinga will emerge as proceedings continue.
