In Mzuzu, police have arrested three suspects aged between 20 and 22 in connection with the sexual abuse and murder of a four-year-old child in ZoloZolo Township, according to AfricaBrief. The victim went missing on October 9 and was discovered dead in an unfinished building the following morning. Following the arrests, rights groups, including the Child Advocacy Centre and the Women Human Rights Defenders Network Malawi, issued a joint statement demanding a thorough investigation and swift prosecution under the country's Child Care, Protection and Justice Act.
In a separate police matter, Kasungu authorities arrested 38-year-old Chisomo Kapiseni on allegations of sexually abusing his two stepdaughters over a one-year period, according to a report by The Slice Magazine. Meanwhile, in Ntcheu, a 27-year-old man named Samson Chikuta has been sentenced to five years in prison for impersonating a Malawi Defence Force soldier to obtain free beer during a local cultural festival, Face of Malawi reported.
Update: Following earlier coverage of his legal battles, the High Court of Malawi has issued its final 175-page judgment refusing the extradition of Shepherd Bushiri and his wife to South Africa, Nyasa Times reports. The ruling detailed procedural flaws, noting that the couple was denied the right to be heard before the initial extradition order was made. Bushiri celebrated the victory on social media, accusing police officers of fabricating cases to extort money and noting that some of the generals involved in his initial arrest have since faced corruption allegations.
Update: In a legal development continuing from previous reports on diplomatic disputes, the Industrial Relations Court has cleared the way for the government to recall former Malawian ambassador to Kuwait, Younos Abdul Karim, according to Nyasa Times. The court set aside an interim order Karim obtained in September that had temporarily blocked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from implementing his recall, allowing the government to proceed while the wider legal challenge continues.