The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has asked the High Court in Blantyre to enter judgement without trial in the assets forfeiture case against former president Peter Mutharika’s personal bodyguard Norman Chisale and six others.
The State wants the summary judgement on the grounds that Chisale and the other defendants have failed to file a response since the State applied for a seizure order against Chisale’s assets in 2021 after obtaining a preservation order.
In sworn statements by senior State advocate Bernard Mbalati supporting the application, the DPP said the court on two occasions in 2022 ordered the defendants and any interested party to file a response to the forfeiture application.
According to the DPP, the two orders have not been complied with as of April 2025 and there has been no explanation from the defendants.
The DPP notes that Chisale, on the other hand, only made applications for variation of the preservation order seeking access to his bank accounts but these were dismissed.
Reads the application: “We pray that this Honourable Court enter judgment without trial against the defendants herein with costs.”
Yesterday, Judge Anneline Kanthambi was expected to start hearing the application for summary judgement but defence lawyers said counsel Peter Matsimbe representing the fifth defendant was not served with documents relating to the application and could not adequately respond.
Kanthambi adjourned the matter to August 14 2025 to provide a chance to Matsimbe to respond to the application.
