New High Court Judges sworn in

President Arthur Peter Mutharika has urged two newly sworn–in judges of the High Court, Justice Thomson Ligowe and Justice Jack N’riva, to be patriotic and demonstrate highest sense of integrity in justice delivery.

Mutharika said this on Tuesday at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre during the swearing – in ceremony of the two as Judges of the High Court of Malawi.

“I am certain that as judges you will contribute to the reduction of the case backlog as well as assist the nation in the delivery of justice. The nation expects that you will examine cases, approach work with seriousness and integrity and above everything else, serve the nation with patriotism,” Mutharika said.

Mutharika also emphasized the need for the three arms of government (executive, legislature and the judiciary) to remain united in order to win the fight against corruption.

“There is an increasing need for the three arms of government to continue working towards complementing each other so that the fight against corruption is successfully won,” Mutharika added.

Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda said the appointment and swearing–in of the two judges was a positive development considering that it would go a long way in helping the judiciary in the country deliver high quality justice services.

“You can recall that we have not been so lucky in the past one year. We have been trying to get judges on board to help us in the administration of a backlog of cases that are coming into the system but unfortunately, we have lost judges one after another due to death,” Nyirenda lamented.

“This is a very exciting moment against that background where we are able to have two judges at once. The two (judges) will certainly build on to translation of laws and add on to the numbers that we have on the bench,” he added.

Justice Nyirenda said the two judges would also help in addressing the backlog that has been widespread across the courts in the country, noting that there has been a national outcry that a number of establishments in the judiciary have had no judges.

“Mzuzu, in particular, there have been concerns that we only have one judge who is always overwhelmed with the number of cases at his disposal. It is expected that the appointment of the two judges will certainly make a difference in the delivery of justice,” Nyirenda pointed out.

Speaking after taking the Oath, Justice Thomson Ligowe pledged commitment in the dispensation and management of cases to ensure a timely delivery of justice to people in the country.

Before the present portfolios, Justice Jack N’riva was the High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal Registrar while Justice Thomson Ligowe was Deputy Registrar of the High Court.

The swearing in ceremony was administered by High Court Deputy Registrar Agnes Patemba.