Chisale bail ruling November 21

The Principal Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe yesterday set November 21 2023 for ruling on bail application for Norman Chisale, former president Peter Mutharika’s aide.

Police arrested on allegations of interfering with justice, and intimidation.

Representing the State, lawyer Prescott Mwaiulipo argued that Chisale has capacity to meddle with justice because of his military training background as well as his closeness to echelons of power.

Said Mwaiulipo: “The accused is connected to powerful people and has a military background, which he can use to intimidate witnesses.”

It transpired that the State may have finished their investigations in the case, but they were fearing witness interference by the accused.

However, defence counsel Stanley Chirwa argued that there was no way Chisale was going to interfere with the justice system because he worked for the former president.

He cited examples of other individuals in the country who were high-ranking but were answering cases in court, yet they were granted bail by the courts.

After hearing from both sides, principal magistrate Roderick Michongwe said he will rule on the bail application on November 21 2023, with the case commencing on November 23.

Following Chisale’s arrest on November 14, National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said in a statement that the arrest followed complaints by some public officers that he was obstructing justice.

Chisale was arrested barely a week after he was granted an interview by Zodiak Broadcasting Station in which he claimed victimisation by some government officers.