The High Court's Financial Crimes Division has ordered that funds belonging to Yusuf Investments Limited remain restricted amid ongoing investigations into the controversial K128.7 billion sale of Amaryllis Hotel to the Public Service Pension Trust Fund. Judge Redson Kapindu ruled that the accounts must remain frozen while the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Financial Intelligence Authority trace billions of kwacha linked to the transaction, Malawi Cables reports. Investigators recently tracked K20.15 billion transferred to a Yusuf Investments account, noting that more than K1 billion was subsequently withdrawn through a series of cheques before the restrictions were fully enforced.
In Zomba, the High Court has overturned the conviction of Saint Mark Nangwere, a man who spent two years in prison after being found guilty of a sexual offence against a minor in 2024. According to Malawi24, the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau successfully argued on appeal that the lower court erred by ignoring a solid alibi. Two defence witnesses testified during the original trial that Nangwere was with them completing carpentry apprenticeship work throughout the day the alleged incident occurred, leading the appellate court to acquit him and set aside his 14-year sentence.
Meanwhile, the Industrial Relations Court has granted an interim stay order preventing the government from recalling Younos Abdul Karim as Malawi's Ambassador to Kuwait. Nation Online reports that the court restrained the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from replacing Karim with Jonah Pankuku as chargé d'affaires. Authorities have been directed to maintain Karim's diplomatic status, functions, and foreign service allowances pending a full judicial review of the government's decision to terminate his tenure prematurely.
Update: Testifying before the Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the June 2024 Chikangawa plane crash, Inspector General of Police Richard Luhanga admitted that police search teams got lost while looking for the wreckage. According to Nyasa Times, Luhanga detailed how the search for the aircraft, which carried late Vice President Saulos Chilima, was severely hampered by the dense forest, extreme cold, and inadequate equipment. The police chief also informed lawmakers that the rescue operation was complicated by false information and fake coordinates circulating on social media.