Police in Nsanje District have arrested eight individuals suspected of stealing old railway lines near Nyachipere Bridge. According to Malawi24, law enforcement intercepted a 10-tonne lorry carrying the steel pieces during the night of October 13 to 14 following a tip-off from the public. Senior Superintendent Gladys Chiwaula confirmed that the suspects remain in police custody and are expected to appear in court to answer theft charges.
In international court news, the founders of a United States non-profit organization that claimed to aid orphans in Malawi have received maximum prison sentences for fraud. As reported by the United States Department of Justice on October 14, Jason Carney was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while his wife Lacey Carney received a three-year sentence. Court documents revealed that the couple diverted over 2 million dollars from their charity, 2nd Milk.
Update: The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate's Court has temporarily suspended the enforcement of arrest warrants against former Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) leaders Timothy Mtambo, Gift Trapence, and Macdonald Sembereka. Malawi24 reports that Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda ordered the suspension pending a full hearing scheduled for October 21. The activists are legally challenging the warrants, arguing they stem from a case concerning alleged bail condition violations that the State closed in October 2020.
Update: Following their arrest earlier this week by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mchinji Senior Resident Magistrate Godfrey Nyirenda and auctioneer Praise Chimbilima Gondwe were scheduled to appear in court on Friday, October 16. According to the ACB, the two face formal charges of misuse of office and providing false information in connection with the illegal sale of a seized motor vehicle in Mzuzu.