Malawi judiciary needs sweeping reforms, says legal analyst

A renowned legal analyst Justin Dzonzi says the Judiciary needs sweeping reforms to make it transparent and accountable.

Dzonzi said this after a magistrate court in Zomba cancelled a warrant of arrest for finance services business tycoon Thomson Mpinganjira dubiously.

Dzonzi said  parliament should be able to summon the Chief Justice to explain on some dubious and suspicious court judgment.

“Parliament should also be able to summon judges to explain delays in giving out judgments in some cases, this way the Judiciary would be transparent and accountable to people,” said Dzonzi.

Both the Anti-Corruption Bureau director general Reyneck Matemba and law expert Garton Kamchezera have described as rotten Judicial system the decision by Chitsakamile to cancel a warrant of arrest for Mpinganjira which was not issued by his court.

Meanwhile, anti-corruption law expert Wesley Mwafulirwa and governance pundit Rafiq Hajat have said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) requires complete independence on prosecution as well as appointment of its director general to work effectively.

“The present legal framework gives little independence to ACB, the Executive branch is still too powerful,” observed Mwafulirwa in quotes reported by the local press.

He said even the director general of the graft-busting body cannot prosecute before getting permission from the director of public prosecution, saying this  is why some cases have been handled in “a questionable manner.”

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