Chanthunya loses extradition appeal in SA

Fugitive businessperson Misozi Chanthunya lost an appeal against his extradition to Malawi in the South African High Court on Friday.

Chanthunya is suspected to have murdered his Zimbabwean girlfriend Linda Gasa in September 2010.

The late Gasa was found entombed under concrete at Chanthunya’s private cottage in Monkey Bay, Mangochi.

Attorney General Anthony Kamanga confirmed on Tuesday about Chanthunya’s failed appeal.

“Everybody is anxious. Now he is extraditable. We hope the process will be expedited, but we respect the processes that the extradition will have to go through,” said Kamanga.

He said the extradition process in South Africa involves the minister responsible to do the formal extradition order “but as of now, we don’t see any other reason that should impinge on his extradition.”

Chanthunya, however, has an option of further appealing to the Constitutional Court, but Kamanga would not comment on that possibility.

Last year, a South African magistrate court in Rustenburg quashed his grounds against extradition and Chanthunya appealed against the ruling.

Chanthunya was arrested in January last year by the International Police (Interpol) in Rustenburg, South Africa where he had been hiding after being on the run for more than one year.

He faces murder, a charge which is punishable by death.