Fugitive Chanthunya seeks bail, discharge
Fugitive businessperson Misozi Chanthunya, accused of murdering his pregnant Zimbabwean girlfriend Linda Gasa about seven years ago, has applied for bail and discharge in the High Court of Malawi Lilongwe Registry.
Chanthunya fled the country to South Africa following his alleged crime and has been fighting against his extradition in the rainbow nation’s courts on grounds that he would face the death penalty if he is repatriated to Malawi.
His lawyer, Donvan Sulungwe, confirmed making the application before High Court Judge Esmie Chombo two weeks ago.
In an in interview yesterday, he said all attempts by his client to fight against extradition were exhausted and that Malawi Government is delaying to extradite him; hence, the application.
But senior chief State advocate Steven Kayuni, in a telephone interview, said Chanthunya, who is held at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria, was not being honest because it was the suspect who was stalling the whole process.
Said Kayuni: “It’s, actually, the other way round, and to turn around and come before the local court here and to accuse the State of delaying the process I think it’s misunderstanding of the whole thing and it’s an application of which someone is coming to court without clean hands at the end of the day.”
Hearing of the bail application and discharge was scheduled to start today (Friday), according to Kayuni, and that it was unlikely to take place because of the ongoing strike by Judiciary support staff.
Interpol arrested Chanthunya in Rustenburg, South Africa on January 23 2012 after being on the run for 17 months.
Malawi sought his extradition, but the issue ended up in South African courts where Chanthunya is contesting the matter.
The late Gasa was entombed under concrete at the Chanthunyas’ private cottage in Monkey Bay, Mangochi. n
