Tag archives: Danwood Chiwa

Law expert urges arrest of Karim, Botoman: Impeachment of Malawi leader over corruption dossier

By Nyasa Times Reporter

A  constitutional law commentator Professor Danwood Chirwa has said a statement issued by  Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) not to confirm the authenticity of the  leaked document summarizing serious fraud and corruption involving the police, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),  President Peter Peter Mutharika and a businessman Zameer Karim is due to “extreme pressure” from the corridors of power […]

Read full story — Law expert urges arrest of Karim, Botoman: Impeachment of Malawi leader over corruption dossier

Lessons Malawi can learnt from recent presidential elections in Africa

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Kenya and Liberia recently held presidential elections which were protracted by legal contestations of the kind we witnessed in the 2014 presidential elections in Malawi. The experience of these countries holds some lessons that could help us with the ongoing effort to reform our electoral laws. Kenya’s Constitution, a product of a violent political fallout […]

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Law scholar raps Malawi Minister Chaponda over suitcase cash stash:  ACB hailed for ‘Bank Nkhonde’ burst

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawian legal commentator based at South Africa’s University of Cape Town, Professor Danwood Chirwa has weighed in on the operation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raiding the  residence of Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda where  they seized  suitcases stashed with cash – US$58,000 and MK124 million. ACB raided the  residences of Chaponda […]

Read full story — Law scholar raps Malawi Minister Chaponda over suitcase cash stash:  ACB hailed for ‘Bank Nkhonde’ burst

Law scholer backs Chaponda order:  Malawi ‘accidental voters’ would still elect ‘maizegater’, says analyst

By Nyasa Times Reporter

A local social-political commentator has said if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were to feature maize-gate implicated   Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda  as presidential candidate some quite good number of Malawians would still vote for him despite being implicated in the  Zambia maize import saga. Writing on the social media, […]

Read full story — Law scholer backs Chaponda order:  Malawi ‘accidental voters’ would still elect ‘maizegater’, says analyst

Law scholar finds Kasambara’s jail term ‘manifestly excessive’: Queries Judge Mtambo for abusing  judicial power 

By Nyasa Times Reporter

South Africa-based Malawian professor of law, Danwood Chirwa, has  found that the sentence of  13 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) handed down to former justice minister Ralph Kasambara for conspiring to murder former budget director Paul Mphwiyo is ”manifestly excessive. The maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder is 14 years imprisonment with hard labour. But […]

Read full story — Law scholar finds Kasambara’s jail term ‘manifestly excessive’: Queries Judge Mtambo for abusing  judicial power 

Malawi sedition laws ‘declared invalid’: Law scholars discuss inconsistencies

By Nyasa Times Reporter

The use of sedition laws to punish government critics is inconsistent with the spirit of the new Malawi Constitution which guarantees freedom of opinion, expression and the press; law scholars have said, revealing that the High Court declared the sedition laws invalid. The comments come in the wake of the arrest of opposition members charged […]

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Analysing Justice Kapindu’s sentence on Malawi chief cashgater Lutepo

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Lutepo was a young successful businessman and thus contributed positively, for a while at least, to the Malawian economy. He was a first offender. He had pleaded guilty and implicated others in Cashgate crimes. Yet Justice Kapindu still imposed an effective prison sentence of 11 years – 8years for the offence of money laundering and […]

Read full story — Analysing Justice Kapindu’s sentence on Malawi chief cashgater Lutepo

Malawi explores engagement with Diaspora: Law scholar says Diaspora vital

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawi government has embarked on a project to enable it to forge a national Diaspora engagement strategy with President Peter Mutharika saying government is pushing for the review of the Citizenship Act so that Malawians can start exploiting the benefits of dual citizenship. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with funding from the international Centre for Migration […]

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DPP-UDF in ‘tribal pact’ argues Malawi law expert

By Nyasa Times Reporter

United Democratic Front (UDF) members of Parliament (MPs) who have relocated to government benches have violated Section 65 of the constitution, a law that regulates movement of Members of Parliament once elected into the Legislature, Malawian law professor Danwood Chirwa has argued. Chirwa, a professor of law at the University of Cape Town in South […]

Read full story — DPP-UDF in ‘tribal pact’ argues Malawi law expert

AG’s opinion on Malawi Judiciary’s strike is legally flawed –Prof Danwood Chirwa

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale’s formal legal advice on the legality of the demands by the judiciary’s personnel pertaining to their remuneration and benefits and of the strike in general is legally flawed and misleading. In political terms, it amounts to giving Mutharika a rope with which to hang himself. The judiciary comprises the support staff […]

Read full story — AG’s opinion on Malawi Judiciary’s strike is legally flawed –Prof Danwood Chirwa

Anthony Kamanga now Judge at Supreme Court of Malawi

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Former Attorney General Antony Kamanga is now in the bench as  a new Supreme Court judge after being appointed by President Peter Mutharika, Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula has confirmed. Kamanga, who once served as Solicitor General, is yet to be sworn in as Judge of Appeal. He holds a bachelor of laws, an LLM (Master […]

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The judiciary must be respected – Prof Danwood Chirwa

By Nyasa Times Reporter

The judiciary does not deserve the ridicule that is being thrown at it. On the contrary, it needs to be respected and strengthened. A society that does not have a mechanism for resolving disputes amongst its members is primitive; the one that has is civilised. The on-going strike by members of the judiciary touches upon […]

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Law scholar faults Malawi govt on judiciary impasse

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawi’s commentator on legal affairs, Dr Danwood Mzikenge Chirwa, has faulted the executive arm of government for acting unfairly on the Judiciary by declaring that Treasury would not implement their requests and proposal to end their indefinite courts strike. The Judiciary has asked government to implement a salary adjustment for its staff to correspond with that of the […]

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Law expert urges impeachment of Mutharika for ‘bribery’ of Malawi journalists:  Calls APM ‘worse demagogue’

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawi law professor Danwood Mzikenge Chirwa has called for President Peter Mutharika to voluntary resign as Head of State or impeachment proceedings to be commenced against him for “bribing” media practitioners that had dinner with him at Sanjika Palace last Tuesday. Chirwa, a professor of law at the prestigious University of Cape Town in South Africa, told Nyasa Times that the […]

Read full story — Law expert urges impeachment of Mutharika for ‘bribery’ of Malawi journalists:  Calls APM ‘worse demagogue’

Law expert says Lutepo chooses ‘inappropriate forum for confessions’: Malawi cashgate

By Nyasa Times Reporter

Malawi legal commentator Professor Danwood Chirwa  has said businessman and chief cashgate suspect Oswald Lutepo is not in contempt of court in granting an exclusive interview with the radio to comment on his cases under court consideration but that he is choosing inappropriate forums  -the media – for his confessions. Lutepo gave an interview on […]

Read full story — Law expert says Lutepo chooses ‘inappropriate forum for confessions’: Malawi cashgate

Why federalism represents justified but misdirected political disaffection of our time- Malawi law scholar

By Nyasa Times Reporter

What justifies federalist sentiments? The idea of federalism has proved to be so seductive to many Malawians that I have felt compelled to restate my opposition to it and communicate it to a wider audience. I understand and will explain why more and more people are finding it attractive, but argue nevertheless that federalism is […]

Read full story — Why federalism represents justified but misdirected political disaffection of our time- Malawi law scholar