Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament for Mzimba South Constituency, Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere, has been arrested by police in Lilongwe over allegations of theft of quarry.

A move his lawyer says is politically motivated and linked to his recent court challenge against a presidential directive on the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).

Jere, who is an MCP Member of Parliament, has in recent days been part of a legal team challenging President Peter Mutharika’s Executive Order directing the relocation of MEC headquarters from Lilongwe to Blantyre — a case that has sparked a wider constitutional dispute over electoral independence.

According to his lawyer, George Jivason Kadzipatike, the MP was summoned to Malawi Police Service Headquarters at Area 30 on Tuesday morning before being taken to Lumbadzi Police Station following his arrest.

Kadzipatike said his client denies the allegations, insisting that the quarry in question was lawfully purchased in 2021 from a Chinese contractor engaged on the Jenda–Edingeni road project.

“He denies these allegations. It is unfortunate that this matter is coming after five years, and immediately after Chambulanyina has, with others, obtained an injunction against the relocation of MEC to Blantyre,” he said.

He further argued that the timing of the arrest raises suspicion of political retaliation, linking it to the MCP MPs’ ongoing legal challenge against the government over the MEC relocation directive.

Jere, together with MCP and other legislators, recently secured a High Court injunction stopping implementation of President Mutharika’s order to move MEC headquarters, a decision that has placed him at the centre of a politically charged legal battle.

The case is part of Judicial Review proceedings in which MCP and three MPs, including Jere, are challenging the legality of the relocation directive.

National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo confirmed the arrest, saying police are handling the matter but did not provide further details.