UTM Party Secretary General Patricia Kaliati spent last night in the fridge but was not charged, according to her lawyer Khumbo Soko.

A statement signed by National Police spokesman Peter Kalaya released yesterday said she was arrested for “conspiracy to commit an offence”, there was no charge.

In an interview, Soko, who met Kaliati at Lingadzi police station yesterday afternoon, said his client had not been formally charged so he could form an opinion on what would happen next.

He said: “I can confirm that she has not yet been formally charged. So the way the process works is that once an accused person has been arrested, they must be formally told the reasons for their arrest. But that process hasn’t happened yet.”

Asked when she is expected to be charged or appear in court, Soko said in the absence of the charge sheet, she did not know.

However, a senior government official in the criminal justice system told The Nation that Kaliati’s arrest is related to a suspected “treason plot” that is under investigation.

“So the arrest is not really for prosecution, but for security (of) evidence. There are several people who will be arrested in connection (with it). Depending on the progress of the investigation, Kaliati could still be in custody for some time,” the source said.

When The Nation spoke to Kaliati, a former Minister of Community Development and Social Welfare in President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration, she said she had heard that she was charged with conspiracy to commit an offense but a statement was yet to be recorded by the time our interview. around 3 pm yesterday.

Kaliati said she was summoned to the police station on Wednesday this week but could not attend due to other commitments.

“So when I turned up today (Thursday) I was informed of the arrest. They said they want to hear my side of the story as they do their investigation,” she explained as she interacted with other senior party officials, including presidential aspirant Dalitso Kabambe, who was the first of the top members of of the UTM party that arrived at the Lingadzi police station. .

While the other party members looked sympathetic and cried, Kaliati was calm and joked about her situation.

“Osahaxin ndili bwino bwino (don’t worry, I’m fine),” she was heard telling a UTM supporter who broke down when she saw Kaliati behind a holding area for female suspects at the station.

It was a show of solidarity as other UTM Party presidential aspirants like Newton Kambala and Mathews Mtumbuka rushed to visit her at the police station.

When Kabambe met Kambala, who had arrived with a group of UTM supporters, they embraced as Kabambe recited part of the party’s slogan: “Osaopa, Osaopa”.

A little drama took place around 4pm, when the police stopped UTM supporters from showing their placards.

A confrontation ensued when the youths started protesting, but it took the leadership of the UTM party for the supporters to comply with the order after which the youths moved to the party headquarters in Zone 10.

Pro-Kaliati dances, chants and singing of songs took place at the headquarters.

Kambala was the only notable personality present at the party headquarters who also addressed the media.

He said the arrest made no sense and appeared to be politically motivated.

Kambala said: “It comes just a day before our NEC meeting – it says a lot. Honorable Kaliati, being another presidential candidate, you cannot rule out politics in this arrest. But this is really sad.”

According to him, the arrest was orchestrated from outside the party. Kambala said the party will decide whether the meeting will take place if the secretary-general remains in custody.

Kambala’s statement about the meeting is slightly different from what party publicist Felix Njawala told the media earlier at Lingadzi police.

According to Njawala, the meeting will continue even in the absence of the Secretary General based on their constitution.