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.

The Nsanje Second Grade Magistrate’s Court has fined seven people after convicting them of publishing false news likely to cause public alarm over alleged cases of manhood disappearances.

Delivering the sentence, Second Grade Magistrate Haneef Ngundende said the convicts falsely claimed that their genitals had disappeared in separate incidents without any medical evidence to support their allegations.

The court ordered Clement Thede and Bonface Beka to each pay a fine of K600,000 or, in default, serve two years’ imprisonment.

Shadrick Sande was ordered to pay K500,000 or serve one year and six months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.

Meanwhile, Owen Chandendema, Yotamu Ephraim, Jeremiah Yesaya, and Nelson Andiseni were each fined K400,000 or, in default, will serve one year and six months’ imprisonment.

The court ruled that the false claims had the potential to cause unnecessary fear and panic among members of the public.

Source:Times360Malawi

A witness living near the home of the late Victoria Bobe has told the High Court in Blantyre that he encountered a group of suspected robbers on the night the medical doctor was murdered and has identified two of the accused.

Testifying before the court, the witness said he came out of his house with two dogs after seeing a message in a neighbourhood WhatsApp group in which Dr. Bobe had alerted residents that thieves had invaded her home.

He told the court that as he stepped outside his gate, he came face to face with several people. After asking them where they were coming from, one of the men allegedly fired a gun into the air and warned him, saying, “You will die because of the owners.”

The witness said the incident frightened him, forcing him to retreat into his yard. However, he continued observing the group from a distance and noticed they were dressed in black clothing with their faces covered.

Despite the disguise, the witness told the court he was able to identify two of the accused—one by his voice, whom he alleged made the threatening statement, and another by his body build.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bobe’s husband, Yamikani Bobe, also identified two of the accused during the court proceedings. He told the court he recognized one suspect by his body structure and another by his face, saying the individual was not wearing a face covering at the time.

Dr. Victoria Bobe, who was a medical doctor at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, was shot dead inside her bedroom during a robbery at her home on the night of 17 November 2025.

The trial continues before the High Court in Blantyre.

The High Court in Zomba has dismissed an application by Senior Chief Malemia’s lawyer, Patrick Debwe, seeking bail for the traditional leader and a DNA test in a case in which he is accused of having sexual relations with a minor and assisting in the termination of a pregnancy.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Texious Masoamphambe said the defence had argued that Malawian law allows suspects to be released on bail and that the chief has strong ties to Zomba, where his family and property are based. The defence also noted that the chief voluntarily handed himself over to police, suggesting he was unlikely to abscond.

Debwe further requested that a DNA test be conducted to determine whether the pregnancy at the centre of the case belonged to the chief.

However, Justice Masoamphambe ruled that the charges facing the chief are serious and that the case had already reached an advanced stage before the magistrate’s court. He added that public confidence in the justice system must be maintained.

The judge has since referred the matter back to the Zomba Magistrate’s Court, where Magistrate Elijah Daniels will continue hearing the case and the chief’s defence.

State prosecutors Naarai Longwe and Abdul Limbe welcomed the ruling, while Debwe said he is prepared to continue representing the chief as the case proceeds.

At least four witnesses have so far testified in a case involving actor  Tumpe Mtaya, also known as Phwedo, who is accused of having sexual relations with a minor.

Lawyer for the accused, Khwima Mchizi, told Times that the witnesses who have already testified include the girl’s mother, father, and the alleged victim herself.

Mchizi said the case will return to court on June 4, when the State is expected to bring additional witnesses.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, Frank Namangale, has dismissed claims that the case is taking too long, saying court cases follow several legal procedures before they are concluded.

The High Court in Lilongwe has adjourned the case involving Amos Katengeza and Egnat Katengeza to June 4, 2026, when the two are expected to indicate whether they will plead guilty or not guilty to the charges against them.

The two are suspected to be connected to the death of their relative, Agness Katengeza, who was found murdered in Lilongwe on September 24, 2023.

Bruno Kalemba adjourned the matter after defence lawyer Khumbo Soko asked the court for more time, arguing that the prosecution failed to provide case documents to the defence within a reasonable period.

Soko told the court that he, together with lawyer Kavu Kaphwiti Banda, who is representing one of the suspects, only received the documents on Tuesday morning and needed time to review them.

Meanwhile, senior state advocate Dzikondianthu Malunda told the court that the documents were submitted late because they had also been received late from the Legal Aid Bureau.

A case involving John Kauta, whose dogs are suspected to have killed a security guard in Zomba, has been temporarily suspended after being transferred from the Magistrate’s Court to the High Court.

The dogs are alleged to have killed 41-year-old Clement Lihuta in the Old Naisi area during the night of May 4 and 5 this year.

State prosecutors told the Zomba Magistrate’s Court that the two charges facing Kauta  criminal negligence and manslaughter  fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

Presiding magistrate Elijah Daniels agreed with the State’s submission and ordered that the matter be moved to the High Court for further hearing.

The late Lihuta came from Mc-Moles Village under Senior Chief Mwambo in Zomba District.

The High Court in Lilongwe says it will continue hearing the case involving Phillip Malenga, who is accused of murdering, robbing and raping Memory Kamange.

Malenga is suspected to have committed the offences on February 11 this year at Botanic Gardens in Area 18, Lilongwe.

Presiding judge Kondwani Banda formally charged Malenga with three offences  murder, rape and robbery. However, the accused denied all the charges.

State prosecutor Dzikondianthu Malunda told the court that the suspect has no mental or health complications affecting the case and that the State is prepared to parade eight witnesses to testify.

The defence team did not make any submissions during the session.

The court has since scheduled June 2, 2026, as the date when State witnesses are expected to begin giving evidence in the case.

The Second Grade Magistrate’s Court sitting at Matenje in Kasungu District has ordered Fresher Hara to pay a fine of K2.8 million after being found guilty of committing adultery with another man’s wife.

The court heard that Hara engaged in a sexual relationship with the wife of Vincent Bosi Phiri in February this year in the area of Traditional Authority Chulu, an act that contributed to the breakdown of the couple’s marriage.

Second Grade Magistrate David Mumbuwa ruled that Hara was guilty of interfering with a lawful marriage. He was ordered to pay K1 million immediately, with the remaining balance to be paid in monthly installments of K180,000 over a period of ten months.

The court also found the woman guilty of adultery and ordered her to pay K300,000 in compensation to her husband, Phiri.

Meanwhile, the court has officially dissolved the marriage between Phiri and his wife following a request by the husband.

The Blantyre Magistrate’s Court has begun hearing a case involving Vanessa Chimbayo also known as Elies Johny, who is accused of defaming her domestic worker after posting a viral video on social media.

Chimbayo is alleged to have recorded and shared a video showing her in a heated verbal exchange with her housemaid, Cecilia Davison, last month. In the widely circulated clip, she reportedly captioned the video with the words “Stay Away from this Witch,” an allegation prosecutors say amounted to publicly humiliating and defaming the worker.

The case opened at the Magistrate’s Court in Blantyre on Thursday, where Chimbayo pleaded not guilty to the charge. The court has since adjourned the matter to 9 March for further hearing.

Meanwhile, Dominic Makawa, Executive Director of the Domestic and Vulnerable Workers Association, said the organization is considering joining the case as an interested party. He noted that their involvement is currently pending approval from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The case has sparked debate on social media about the treatment and protection of domestic workers in Malawi, as the court process continues.

Source: Times360Malawi

A 55-year-old woman from Balaka has narrowly escaped a 15-month stint behind bars after paying a K750,000 fine for being found in possession of a special delivery from South Africa a pistol and seven rounds of ammunition.

The convict, Rhoda Amos, of Lupanga Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala, appeared before the Balaka First Grade Magistrate’s Court following her arrest on New Year’s Day, 2026.

The court heard through State Prosecutor Superintendent Bodwin Msukwa that police acted on a tip-off from “well-wishers” who led them to Rhoda’s house. During the search, detectives uncovered a pistol and seven bullets wrapped in a plastic “jumbo” and hidden inside a sack bag.

Upon interrogation, the woman dropped a bombshell: the lethal cargo wasn’t hers. She told police the firearm was sent by her 35-year-old son, Amos Poison, who is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa. To beat border security, the weapon was reportedly smuggled into Malawi hidden inside a subwoofer.

Rhoda pleaded guilty to the charge of being found in possession of a firearm without a permit or license.

In his ruling, First Grade Magistrate Augustine Mizaya noted the dangerous nature of the offense.

“The weapon is offensive and a threat to the community,” the Magistrate stated, agreeing with the state that a stiff sentence was necessary to deter others. He ordered her to pay a fine of K750,000 or serve 15 months imprisonment with hard labor.

By the end of the day, the 55-year-old managed to settle the fine, securing her freedom, though her son—the sender of the “musical” pistol—remains in the Rainbow Nation.

Former Minister of Homeland Security Ezekiel Ching’oma is expected to appear before the Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Blantyre this morning to answer charges including abuse of office and attempted extortion.

Ching’oma, who has been added as the third accused person in the matter, will appear alongside former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ackis Muwanga and former Crimes Superintendent Loudon Nthinda.

The three are facing charges stemming from alleged misconduct while they were holding public office. Details of the specific allegations are expected to be outlined when the matter is called in court.

The case is part of a wider crackdown on alleged abuse of authority by former senior government and police officials.

The First Grade Magistrate Court in Liwonde, Machinga, has found an elderly couple not guilty of charges involving the alleged possession of a child’s umbilical cord.

According to a statement by the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) on their Facebook page, the couple identified as 73-year-old Beston Liwonde and 69-year-old Roseby Kennedy were arrested on May 26, 2024. Their arrest followed statements from other suspects previously detained in connection with the case, who claimed to have obtained the body part from the couple.

In his ruling, First Grade Magistrate Maxwell Boaz noted that while the couple are traditional healers, the prosecution failed to provide evidence proving they were found in possession of the child’s umbilical cord. Consequently, the magistrate ordered their immediate release, declaring them innocent of the charges.

The couple hails from Kawelama Village in Machinga District.

Source: Legal Aid Bureau 

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has announced a bold move to challenge the High Court’s decision that set Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General, Richard Chimwendo Banda, free.

In a statement shared on  Ministry of Justice’s Facebook page, the DPP is heading back to court to appeal the ruling delivered by Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda on Wednesday. The State is reportedly dissatisfied with the “unconditional” nature of the release, which saw the MCP strongman walk out of Maula Prison after a month in custody.

The legal drama follows a successful application by Chimwendo’s lawyer, George Jivason Kadzipatike, who argued that his client was being held illegally past the 30-day remand limit. While Justice Nyirenda agreed and ordered Chimwendo’s immediate release, the DPP is now moving to stay that order.

As it stands, Chimwendo Banda remains free, but the DPP’s appeal adds a fresh layer of tension ahead of the scheduled inter-party hearing on January 23, 2026. The State is expected to argue that the gravity of the attempted murder charges outweighs the procedural delays cited by the defense.