BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General(SG )Richard Chimwendo Banda has filed an urgent appeal in the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal seeking a stay of a 90-day remand warrant issued on December 15, 2025, by the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court.
The Supreme Court of Appeal, through Justice of Appeal Dorothy Nyakaunda Kamanga, is scheduled to hear the matter on January 9, 2026.
Chimwendo Banda is also awaiting a ruling from the High Court in Lilongwe on a separate bail application before Justice Mzonde Mvula.
Judiciary spokesperson Ruth Mputeni confirmed in an interview with local media that the former cabinet minister, who is currently on remand at Maula Prison, is seeking an order to stay or suspend the remand warrant.
Mputeni said Justice of Appeal Kamanga will conduct an inter partes hearing on the application on January 9, 2026.
In a separate interview, Chimwendo Banda’s lawyer, George Jivason Kadzipatike, explained that the bail application before the High Court and the application for a stay of the remand warrant in the Supreme Court of Appeal are separate and independent legal processes.
“Our objective is to secure the earliest possible release of Honourable Chimwendo.We maintain that his detention is unlawful, and so far the State has not presented evidence linking him to the allegations of attempted murder,” said Kadzipatike.
He added that if the High Court delivers its ruling on the bail application, there may be no need to proceed with the Supreme Court of Appeal application.
Justice Mvula heard the bail application on December 24, 2025, and reserved his ruling after receiving submissions from both the defence and the State.
