The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed the long-running K5 billion asset forfeiture case against Norman Chisale, the former bodyguard to President Peter Mutharika. According to The Maravi Post, Supreme Court Judge Dingiswayo Madise ruled that the High Court erred by rejecting a mutual agreement between Chisale and the Director of Public Prosecutions to discontinue the proceedings. Madise stated that the lower court could not force the State to pursue a prosecution it had already decided to abandon.
Update: The Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the fatal Chikangawa plane crash has formally summoned former President Lazarus Chakwera to testify on September 29, Nyasa Times reports. The inquiry is also hearing testimony from former top security officials regarding search and rescue operations. Yoneco FM reports that former Malawi Defence Force Commander General Paul Valentino Phiri testified before the committee, urging lawmakers to also summon the current Inspector General of Police.
In Lilongwe, the High Court's Financial Crimes Division has denied a bail application for Chinese national Lin Yunhua, who was previously convicted of wildlife trafficking and money laundering. Nation Online reports that Judge Redson Kapindu rejected the application while questioning why the State had supported the convict's release. Kapindu warned that the proposed bail conditions, which would have allowed Lin to finance his own private police monitoring at a residence, risked creating an unacceptable two-tier justice system favoring wealthy suspects.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Human Rights Commission has issued a five-point roadmap demanding improved access to justice for the country's deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens. According to Malawi24, the commission called on the government to immediately recruit and deploy certified Malawian Sign Language interpreters to all police stations, magistrate courts, and healthcare centers to dismantle systemic barriers that exclude deaf individuals from essential services.