BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Lawyers for murder suspect Norman Chisale, who was the personal bodyguard to former President Peter Mutharika, have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court against Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe for what they say unlawful custody of their client.
Presenting their case before Judge Lovemore Chikopa on Thursday morning, the lawyers argued that Chisale has been held in custody for more than the 30 days provided in the criminal procedure evidence code on holding murder suspects before being committed for trial.
Chisale was arrested and formally charged in July with murder pertaining to the killing of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) director of corporate affairs Issa Njauju.
The lawsuit against the Attorney General comes after several attempts to secure bail and an attempt to get injunction against further arrests by Malawi Police Services (MPS).
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.
Recently, Chisale had been at a private clinic in Lilongwe “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..
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.
Police made several arrests in connection with the July 2015 horrid murder of Njauju who went missing for two days before his body was found by sand miners half-buried and his official vehicle, a Totota Hilux double-cabin pick-up, destroyed in a different location.
Those who were arrested in connection with the murder are two police officers; Sergeant Titus Thombozi who was attached to Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) at Mchinji border, but he was operating from Mchinji Police Station and Christopher Naphiyo.
The first suspect to be arrested and charged with murder was Frank John who was found with Njauju’s mobile phone handset after donors stressed that the murder was an attack on the justice system and fight against corruption.
Post-mortem results revealed that Njauju’s body had bullet wounds in the neck and stomach.
