High Court Orders Re-Arrest of Precious Billiat in Chinese Nationals Murder Case
Published on July 15, 2026 at 2:45 PM by Evance Kapito
The High Court in Lilongwe has ordered the re-arrest of Precious Billiat, one of the suspects in the 2023 murder of two Chinese nationals, after raising concerns over her recent presidential pardon.
Presiding over the case, Justice Eddah Ngwira-Mwakibinga questioned why Billiat, who is listed as the eighth accused person, was no longer among the suspects before the court.
Justice Ngwira-Mwakibinga ruled that the President’s constitutional power to grant a pardon applies only to individuals who have already been convicted of an offence, and not to suspects whose cases are still before the courts.
During the proceedings, State prosecutor Dzikondianthu Malunda asked the court to remove Billiat from the case and allow the trial to continue with the remaining accused persons. However, the court rejected the application.
The judge subsequently ordered that Billiat be re-arrested and included in the ongoing proceedings.
The case, involving the alleged murder of two Chinese nationals in 2023, is scheduled to resume on 4 August.
