Malawi: Presidential bodyguard Chisale appeals Supreme Court to stop arresting him

Former Presidential bodyguard Norman Chisale has appealed to the Malawi Supreme Court to stop the Malawi Police from further arresting him, according to a news report by Malawi 24.

Chisale on August 9 has applied for a stay order and injunction aimed at ordering the Malawi Police to stop effecting further arrests on him.

The application comes after Justice Charles Mkandawire of the High Court rejected to grant Chisale the injunction and only granted permission for Judicial Review.

"We renewed the application for the injunction and the Stay Order before a single member of the Supreme Court of Appeal on Sunday who directed that the Application should come inter- parties today," Chisale’s lawyer Chancy Gondwe said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Appeal has adjourned the interpartes hearing to August 17. According to Gondwe, the state does not have enough sworn statements for the hearing.

Chisale was the bodyguard of former President Peter Mutharika from 2014 to June this year when Mutharika lost the presidency.

Since July, Chisale has been arrested on three occasions. He was first arrested on charges of fraud and money laundering which relate to the importation of free duty cement worth K5 billion.

Over 1.2 million bags of cement were imported duty-free between 2018 and 2019 with Mutharika’s Taxpayer Identification Number (TPIN) being used in importation.

After being granted bail, Chisale was re-arrested for the attempted murder of a woman in Blantyre.

On July 27, he was arrested shortly after he was released from Chichiri Prison on bail.

The third arrest relates to the murder of Issa Njauju, a senior Anti-Corruption Bureau Officer killed in 2015.

Chisale is currently on remand at Maula Prison in Lilongwe.