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Chisale found with case in certificate fraud

The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court has found Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national youth director Norman Chisale, who is accused of impersonation, was found with a case to answer.

Chisale, who served as former president Peter Mutharika’s private security aide, faces three counts of impersonation of a person named in a certificate, presenting false information to a person employed in the public service and intimidation.

He is accused of presenting someone’s academic certificate to get recruited by the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) in 1996, notably a Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) belonging to Pythias Hiwa.

Chisale (in blue jacket) holds on to his Bible after ruling. | George Singini

In her judgement yesterday, High Court of Malawi Judge Madalitso Chimwaza, sitting as chief resident magistrate, said the State, through the witnesses it paraded, demonstrated that Chisale did not have a JCE and that the one he presented belonged to Hiwa.

She said the witnesses testified that Chisale failed JCE examinations at Nsipe Community Day Secondary School where he sat as an external candidate in 1995.

“The accused did not pass the Junior Certificate examination, but Pythias Hiwa passed. The person with certificate in 1995 was Pythias Hiwa,” said Chimwaza.

She also said it was her considered view that the State also demonstrated that Chisale presented false information to a person employed in the public service as he was recruited without a certificate of his own.

“In the MDF system, he was recruited as Pythias Hiwa Chisale. The name Chisale was added to avoid confusion in case there was another person with the name Pythias Hiwa,” said Chimwaza.

Based on particulars of the case, it is alleged that both Hiwa and Chisale went for the MDF recruitment exercise in Ntcheu in 1996 but the two were not successful. However Chisale is alleged to have also participated in a recruitment exercise in Dedza after getting Hiwa’s certificate and he was recruited. Chisale was recruited as Pythias Hiwa Chisale.

Hiwa allegedly discovered that Chisale used his certificate after his relation in MDF congratulated him upon seeing his name on the list of the recruits. Hiwa said he was surprised that he had been recruited and when he followed up the matter he established that Chisale went to his home village in Ntcheu where he met Hiwa’s brother and collected his certificate on pretence that Hiwa had sent him to collect.

Following the ruling, Chisale is expected to enter defence.

Meanwhile, his lawyer Gilbert Khonyongwa asked the court for more time for the defence to plan on how it will proceed with the matter.

Chimwaza has since adjourned the matter to March 14 2025 and further stated that Chisale will remain on court bail.

In an interview after the ruling, Director of Public Prosecutions Masauko Chamkakala described the ruling as a step towards what the State wanted to achieve.

Chisale was arrested in 2020 for impersonation of a person named on a certificate.

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