Anxiety disorder hits Malawi’s murder suspect Norman Chisale: Hospitalized two weeks now

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—After several attempts to secure bail and an attempt to get injunction against further arrests by Malawi Police Services (MPS), Norman Chisale, a murder suspect and private bodyguard to former President Peter Mutharika,  is now reportedly sick.

Reports reaching Maravi Post indicate that for 15 days now, Chisale is not at Maula Prison where he was remanded to by Judge Ivy Kamanga.

According to Zodiak online, Chisale has been at a private clinic in Lilongwe since 31^st August “receiving treatment for anxiety disorder with panic attacks.”

Since Malawi Congress Party came to power after deposing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chisale has been subjected to mental, psychological and physical torture by the police, which in the past, has been treating suspects with kid gloves.

The security aide for former president Mutharika is facing a litany of charges and on two occasions was rearrested soon after just been granted bail by the court.

Application by Norman Chisale’s lawyer for a stay order and injunction against the conduct of police was also discarded by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Just few hours to the hearing of his application for bail in the murder of former director at Anti-Corruption Bureau, police also interrogated Chisale on issues surrounding his Malawi School Certificate of Education (M.S.C.E) which he used to get recruited at the Malawi Defence Force.

This, therefore, means that he could still remain in police custody even if he successfully got the bail.

Chisale is answering charges of importing cement duty free using Mutharika’s privileges of duty free imports, murder of former director at Anti-Corruption Bureau and attempted murder of a woman in Blantyre.

Chisale was remanded to Maula prison by Judge Ivy Kamanga.

As if that is not enough, his wife Evalista Chisale is also answering charges of murder.

Evalista Chisale, who was the commissioner under the Peter Mutharika administration, and the other 12 police officers were on July 13, 2020 charged with murder on Buleya Lule’s death, a suspect who died in a police cell.

Maneno Chimulala

I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University. I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college. Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor. I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).