Update: In a major development regarding the controversial K128.7 billion Amaryllis Hotel purchase, police and the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested former presidential aide and former Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority Chief Executive Officer Collins Magalasi, according to Malawi24. The arrest follows reports that Magalasi allegedly oversaw the withdrawal of billions of kwacha in cash from the Public Service Pension Trust Fund proceeds. Nyasa Times reports that CCTV footage showed armed police and state vehicles involved in collecting the funds from a local bank.
Meanwhile, armed police and officials from the Malawi Revenue Authority raided the Lilongwe and Mzuzu law offices of George Kadzipatike, the Malawi Congress Party director of legal affairs, Nation Online reports. Kadzipatike stated that the authorities seized client files and computers over alleged tax issues. The lawyer claimed the raid was political victimization related to his representation of opposition figures and his involvement in the Chikangawa plane crash inquiry committee.
In the courts, the High Court Criminal Division in Blantyre found Lucius Wilson guilty of murdering his wife, Cecelia Yakob, after his alibi collapsed, according to Nyasa Times. The court heard that Wilson strangled Yakob and dumped her body in a maize field in May 2021; he is currently awaiting sentencing following submissions from the prosecution and defense.
Additionally, a 36-year-old Kamuzu Barracks soldier, Diof Simaone, was convicted by the Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate's Court for statutory rape involving a 15-year-old girl, Malawi24 reports. Prosecutors proved that Simaone repeatedly abused the minor, resulting in a pregnancy. The magistrate has reserved sentencing for next week after rejecting the soldier's pleas to avoid prison time.