Questions are mounting over the apparent silence from the Judiciary and the Financial Intelligence Authority regarding corruption allegations against High Court Judge Kenan Manda, according to Nyasa Times. The Financial Intelligence Authority first alerted the Chief Justice over a year ago to troubling patterns in the judge's decisions within the Commercial Division. A key point of contention involves a parallel injunction from the Commercial Division that effectively neutralised a K100 million preservation order previously issued by the Financial Crimes Division.
In related legal developments, the State and Parliament have missed a 24-month deadline set by the High Court to review the Penal Code's vagrancy laws, The Nation reports. A 2022 landmark ruling ordered the reform of rogue and vagabond provisions that have been used to justify arbitrary arrests. With the deadline passed and the laws remaining unchanged, controversial police sweeping exercises continue to result in the detention of citizens without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Health Equity Network has appealed to the judiciary to impose strict custodial sentences on individuals convicted of stealing medicines and medical supplies, as reported by Malawi24. The health advocacy group argues that tougher judicial penalties are necessary to deter the theft of essential public resources and protect the healthcare sector.