Chisale to remain on remand in prison: Court reserves bail ruling

The High Court in Blantyre has reserved to Monday a bail application ruling for former president Peter Mutharika’s aide, Norman Chisale, who is facing an attempted murder charge.

The case was held in camera before  Judge Sylvester Kalembera as the court heard arguments from Chisale’s lawyer, Chancy Gondwe.

Kalembera said he would make the ruling at 11am Monday.

In his application for bail lawyer Gondwe said Chisale should be granted bail, as he cannot be kept on remand when the woman who was hit by a stray bullets has a sworn statement that she is not pressing any complaint against the former president’s bodyguard because it was not an attempted murder.

“There were attackers on the accused person on that particular day, and in trying to defend himself the bullet ended upon the knee of the victim,” Gondwe said.

This is Chisale’s second bail push in after he was arrested last Tuesday on fraud and money-laundering charges related to cement imports that allegedly used Mutharika’s duty free status when he was President. The Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court granted him bail on Friday.

But he never got around to enjoy his temporary freedom because within minutes of the court’s reprieve, police re-arrested him on an attempted-murder charge for allegedly shooting a woman in the knee in Blantyre two months ago.