Mutharika’s human trafficking case adjourns again to November month-end
Former President Peter Mutharika’s step son, Tadikira Mafubza’s manslaughter and human trafficking case has been adjourned again to November.
Hearing of the case resumed on Thursday after it was abruptly adjourned on Wednesday because one of the suspects in the case was not feeling well.
The High Court judge hearing the case has since adjourned the case to November 28-30 this year for continuation of hearing.
However, the court is to convene Friday for hearing of bail application for Aubrey Dukes and Arnold Mwakiyelo, who were arrested last month.
On Thursday, the case which involves Mafubza and seven others, entered day number-three today at the High Court in Mzuzu.
Taking his stand in the witness box, State witness, Assistant Superintendent Baxter Mkumbwa of Mzimba Police Station said he received a report from a Mr. Wyton Ndhlovu whose son, Saidi Ndhlovu discovered the mass grave after experiencing an awful smell when he went hunting for edible wild insects.
Mkumbwa said he went to the crime scene and found two dead bodies of foreign nationals buried halfway and one other lying naked on the ground.
This, he said, made him suspect that there was a mass grave at the place.
Apart from that, Mkumbwa also said he found vehicle tyre prints, IDs and foreign bank deposit slips, all belonging to Ethiopian nationals.
In his testimony, pathologist George Liomba said their autopsy indicated that the 30 people who were found in a mass grave in Mtangatanga Forest in Mzimba District died due to suffocation.
Liomba told the court that they detected neither organic disease among the deceased nor physical trauma.
He said part of their assignment was also to determine how long the bodies might have been in the forest, which they estimate could have been four to five days.
“The bodies showed similar traits. They well tall, slim, male adults with ages estimated between 25 and 45. 27 bodies wore dark trousers, three bodies had only underpants. 21 bodies had no shirts,” he said.To explain better, Liomba brought in the court pictures of the dead bodies which were telecasted.
