Anti-corruption campaigners have erupted in fury after prosecutors controversially discontinued a bribery case against convicted Chinese wildlife trafficker Lin Yunhua — branding the shock decision “disturbing” and warning it could deal a devastating blow to Malawi’s fight against corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Alliance (NACA) hit out at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions […]
A convicted Chinese wildlife trafficker has sensationally walked free from a Malawian prison, just days after the High Court flatly rejected his bail application and ordered he remain behind bars — sparking fury and demands for answers. Dedza Medium Security Prison confirmed that Lin Yunhua had been released after the State abruptly discontinued corruption proceedings […]
Presidential bodyguard-turned-Deputy Minister Norman Chisale MP, has scored a dramatic legal victory after the Supreme Court of Appeal discontinued the long-running K5 billion asset case that had hung over him for years. The case centred on explosive allegations that Chisale had unlawfully amassed money and property worth more than K5 billion during his years at […]
Malawi has just 32 prosecutors at its Directorate of Public Prosecutions to serve a population of 22 million – a shortfall that has left the justice system straining to bring cases of violence against women and children to court. Now, the Clooney Foundation for Justice says it wants to help close that gap. The foundation, […]
A Malawian man who spent seven harrowing years locked up awaiting trial over his own father’s death has finally walked free — after a judge ruled there was simply no case against him. Stevie Kalemba, 37, who suffers from epilepsy, was hauled before Kasungu Police in January 2019 after a night that would upend his […]
A Malawian High Court judge has rejected proposed bail conditions for a convicted wildlife trafficker and money launderer, warning that allowing wealthy defendants to fund private detention arrangements would create unequal treatment before the law. Judge Redson Kapindu turned down the conditions proposed by Lin Yunhua, who had offered to reside at his daughter’s house […]
There is a particular kind of theatre to Malawi’s high-profile corruption cases, and Collins Magalasi’s has, over the course of a single dramatic week, supplied nearly all of it: fresh charges sprung mid-hearing, magistrates swapping roles, sympathisers queuing to shake a defendant’s hand, and a defence lawyer left, by his own admission, simply “surprised.” The […]
Judge blasts authorities as pair — hijacked at gunpoint by the REAL killers — are released after true culprits confess to horrific highway murder Two innocent men who spent six agonising months behind bars, wrongly linked to a horrific murder they had nothing to do with, have finally walked free — after a judge tore […]
The Malawi Law Society’s decision to publicly challenge Director of Public Prosecutions Fostino Maele over the discontinuation of a string of high-profile criminal cases deserves the full attention of every Malawian who still believes in the rule of law. To be clear, the Society is right to acknowledge upfront that the Constitution grants the DPP […]
Justice Chifundo Kachale says Malawi has the tools to ease pressure on its courts and prisons — and avoid long, costly trials — if the country fully embraces plea bargaining. Speaking in Zomba during a Plea Bargaining Session at Zomba Central Prison, organised by the Judiciary, Pepperdine University and other justice‑sector partners, Kachale said the […]
It is a well-known fact that Malawians have faced a lot of injustices because they are poor. This is done at the expense of few rich people with power. During the DPP-led government people are no longer the same before the law which seem to favour the rich and the powerful. Court cases are driven […]
In a quest to bring the citizenly closer to justice Legal Aid Bureau is set to establish district offices with Karonga being one of the districts to benefit from the initiative. The Bureau’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jacqueline Ngongonda disclosed the plans on the sideline of an awareness campaign that the bureau conducted at one […]
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs will this Friday launch Chilungamo Program, also known as Justice and Accountability program. According to a statement made available to Nyasa Times signed by Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice Dr. Janet Chikaya Banda, the overall objective of the Programme is to contribute to dignified life through accountable Government, informed […]
Paralegal Advisory Services Institute (PASI) has asked magistrate courts to regularly conduct Camp Courts, an initiative where courts sit in prisons, as a way of quickly delivering justice to those who have over stayed on remand and the ill. The request was made by PASI’s Paralegal Coordinator, Chimwemwe Ndalahoma, during a Court Users Committee (CUC) […]
Malawians will have a chance to analyse the local justice delivery system through their smartphones following the launch of an Open Trial smartphone and tablet application in the country. Chief executive of UK-based NGO OpenTrial, Frank Richardson, presented the app and demonstrated its functionality to the Malawian media at Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice […]
The Ministry of Justice and Constitution Affairs says plans are at an advanced stage to make the Legal Aid which is one arm of the ministry as an independent entity. Briefing reporters in Lilongwe on Friday, Chief State Advocate in the ministry Pacharo Kayira said the legal aid will soon be an independent entity and […]