The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is reportedly monitoring the Roads Authority following allegations of procurement fraud regarding the Mangochi to Makanjira Road tender, according to Nyasa Times. Insiders claim officials are tampering with bid documents during the ongoing evaluation in Salima to engineer a win for Long Jian Road and Bridge Company Limited. The contractor's bid was allegedly slashed from $28.9 million to approximately $22 million under the guise of correcting clerical errors, bypassing the initial leading bid from Jiangxi Construction Engineering Corporation Limited. The Roads Authority has not yet issued a public response to the allegations.
In a separate legal development, the Constitutional Court in Blantyre is reviewing a legal challenge to Malawi's property laws brought by Pacific Limited. The company is challenging the constitutionality of the Land Amendment Act and Customary Land Amendment Act. Pacific Limited argues the laws restrict property rights and discriminate against non-citizens by narrowly defining who qualifies as an "indigenous Malawian," Nyasa Times reports. Attorney General Frank Mbeta led the State's defense, arguing the laws underwent a legitimate consultative process to fix weaknesses in the 2016 framework. The three-judge panel, consisting of Justices Jabbar Alide, Chimwemwe Kamowa, and Dick Sankhulani, adjourned the proceedings and will announce a judgment date later.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda warned of growing international threats to judicial independence during an address at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minnesota, according to Mshale. Mzikamanda stated that the rule of law is a foundation for democracy and cautioned that individuals globally are attempting to replace legal institutions with the "rule of men". Recalling Malawi's annulled 2019 presidential election, he highlighted how judges faced significant intimidation and death threats but remained committed to the law, which ultimately ensured a peaceful transfer of power.