LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Legal aid clinics that selected Malawi Legal Aid Bureau (MLAB) officers are conducting in the central region have seen over 35 homicide remandees granted bail and others discharged from prison.
The clinics involve visiting prisons within the central region, taking statements from remandees, and representing them in Court to apply for either bail or discharge applications.
A focus is placed on those who have no sufficient means of hiring a private lawyer, have overstayed on remand, and do not have means to physically reach the Bureau’s offices.
Files that have so far been handled indicate that some individuals were arrested as far back as 2013 and have had their cases stalled.
One of the officers spearheading the initiative, Senior Legal Aid Advocate Ruth Harawa, points out that the task of the team is to help in the continued efforts of decongesting prisons by going over and above their daily routines
“Most of our clients visit us in our offices but others who are in dire need of our assistance are in custody with no idea of where and how to procure such assistance.
“We also know that congestion in prisons is mostly due to the indigent, thus we decided to follow them and make ourselves available to assist them,” added Harawa.
Alex Phaso Gandaganda is one of the latest clients to be discharged from Maula Prison after staying there for over a year on suspicion that he was involved in the death of his father.
When his case was taken to Court for a bail application, it was discovered that there was no direct evidence to suggest that he was involved in the death of his father.
He was arrested merely because he was among the people known to have spoken to the deceased on the phone before his death.
During the time he was at Maula Prison, his relatives eagerly wanted to help him out but had no idea of how and where they could find assistance.
The LAB team of advocates and assistants has so far reached 77 homicide remandees in Maula and Ntchisi prisons.
The team is currently working on expanding the clinics to all the prisons in the central region and other cases beyond homicide.
Source: Malawi Legal Aid Bureau (MLAB) Communication Desk