Mphwiyo, Bingu Estate cases dominate Malawi press headlines
The Malawian newspapers were on Tuesday dominated by court stories with both The Nation and The Daily Times newspapers reporting on the interim administrators and lawyers of late President Bingu Wa Mutharika’s estate facing charges of contempt of court.
Both newspapers carried articles on the High Court of Malawi allowing the Estate Duty of Commissioners to move contempt of court charges against administrators and lawyers of former President the late Mutharika for failing to start paying the estate duty.
High Court Judge Dustain Mwaungulu said private practice lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale and James Tomoka who are also interim administrators of the estate have blatantly disobeyed the consent order of the court to determine the provisional value of the estate and pay duty on such valuations within 30 days of grant.
According to Justice Mwaungulu the applicants do cause the motion for committal to be entered for hearing within 14 days in accordance to Order 52, rule 3 sub rule 2 of the Rules of the Supreme Court a motion of committal of alleged contemnors.
The Nation also reported on the judiciary assigning a new Judge to take up the case of the attempted murder of former Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo following the recusal of the previous Judge Esme Chombo.
Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal and Malawi High Court Registrar Joseph Chigona confirmed that the judiciary has identified a new judge from Blantyre who would travel to Lilongwe to start trial on the date to be confirmed after discussions with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
According to him, the name of the Judge who has been assigned will not be mentioned for security reasons
Confirmation of a new judge for the case has come at a time when Mphwiyo, who is the key witness in his own shooting which partially disfigured his face, is undergoing medical check-up in South Africa.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Bruno Kalemba told the paper that though Mphwiyo’s presence as a witness is “ extremely important,” he is not “under any formal restrictions on travel.”
Mphwiyo -whose shooting unravelled a racket of theft and money laundering of public resources, amounting to K13 billion according to the forensic audit report – in his affidavit in his case mentioned Kasambara and another person as the persons behind his shooting outside his Area 43 house.