Court adjourns Chisale fake certificate case

The Senior Resident Magistrate`s Court in Lilongwe has adjourned to 12 April this year a case in which former President Peter Mutharika`s aide Norman Chisale is being accused of impersonating a person named in a certificate in order to be recruited at Malawi Defense Force as a soldier.

Magistrate Shyreen Chirwa was supposed to continue hearing the matter today but lawyer representing Chisale; Gilbert Khonyongwa told the Court that his client is not feeling well.

“We had agreed that the matter should take place by the way of Zoom on account that the accused is unwell and is in isolation,” said Khonyongwa.

He added that the case was initially scheduled to be heard via a video link but some hitches arose prompting the Court to adjourned the matter.

“However, due to other hitches and communication breakdown, it was supposed to be a hybrid, the lawyer in court and the accused following the proceedings through Zoom,” he said.

Nonetheless, Director of Public Prosecutions Dr. Steven Kayuni says the State is ready to continue the case as it has two more last witnesses to be paraded before they close their case.

“We had two witnesses ready, and we were supposed to close our case today, but the accused person is unwell as indicated by his counsel so when we met in chambers, the court agreed that we move the matter another day.

“These are the last witnesses, and after this, the state will close its part, and these witnesses are investigators and one army official,” said Dr. Kayuni.

Last year, Magistrate Chirwa threw out an application by lawyers representing Chisale who were asking the Court to pend proceedings of the matter saying that the defense did not gave proof of an application before the High Court to review preliminary issues in the lower court.

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