Abdul Aziz Bensouda Challenges White Paper’s Case Against Talib Bensouda

UNITE legal secretary Abdul Aziz Bensouda has pushed back against a government white paper that has raised questions about whether party leader Talib Bensouda can stand in the next presidential election. Speaking on behalf of the party’s legal team, he argued that the document cannot lawfully disqualify its candidate and accused the government of creating confusion ahead of nominations. According to Abdul Aziz Bensouda, the white paper was released just a week before nominations, at a moment when speculation about Talib’s eligibility was growing. He said the Local Government Commission’s findings were narrower than the conclusions presented in the government document, and maintained that the commission had not found Talib liable for the conduct required to bar someone from contesting under Section 62(2) of the Constitution. The lawyer said the commission’s finding concerned Talib’s alleged exercise of political and executive influence in ways that could lead to irregular commitments, unauthorised spending, improper project direction and financial exposure beyond the law. He said Talib received notice of that finding on May 12, appealed on June 24 and sought a full copy of the commission’s report, but the Ministry of Justice refused the request. Abdul Aziz Bensouda questioned how the government’s white paper could present conclusions beyond those in the commission’s findings. He described the paper as the government’s response to the report, rather than a legal instrument capable of adding findings or changing the law. He also challenged the timing and handling of the documents, alleging that the report had been altered after it was submitted to the President on May 11. He said Talib’s legal team reviewed metadata in a copy obtained from the Ministry of Justice on a memory stick and found indications that the file had been modified after submission. Abdul Aziz Bensouda called the alleged alteration unconstitutional and illegal, and said UNITE would take action. These claims and legal arguments were presented by the party’s representative; the article does not report a final ruling on Talib Bensouda’s eligibility.