Private practice lawyer Alexious Kamangila has lost a defamation case after the High Court ruled he is liable to pay damages to High Court Judge Kenan Manda. According to Malawi Cables Online, Judge Howard Pemba delivered the ruling after Kamangila failed to comply with court directions. The lawyer neglected to file witness statements and skeleton arguments within the required 21-day period following a March 2025 scheduling conference. The default judgment was issued after an application by Judge Manda's lawyer, Michael Goba Chipeta, resolving a dispute over statements Kamangila made in October 2024.
In a separate commercial dispute, Attorney General Frank Mbeta has saved the Malawi government and the Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) approximately K23.4 billion. Nyasa Times reports that the High Court Commercial Division, presided over by Justice Chifundo Kachale, set aside a previous arbitration award that had ordered the state to compensate Nendongo Commercial Group for an alleged breach of contract. Mbeta and the SFFRFM successfully challenged the legality of both the arbitration proceedings and the underlying fertiliser supply contract.
Update: A formal damages assessment hearing was scheduled for today, May 25, at the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal concerning the defunct Finance Bank of Malawi's K1.03 trillion compensation claim against the Reserve Bank of Malawi. According to Nation Online, the hearing follows a February ruling that faulted the central bank for unlawfully revoking the commercial bank's operating licence. Attorney General Mbeta stated his office is working with the central bank to challenge the financial demand.
Finally, a police investigation is expected at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences after a dead body was discovered on campus. According to Malawi24, workers found an unidentified body hidden in the ceiling of the university's Mpingwe Hostel. Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the identity of the deceased or the cause of death.