High Court adjourns Munthali’s case

Former director of Information Gideon Munthali will have to wait until next week to hear whether the court will grant him bail following his appeal, after the State asked for more time to revisit its position in the case.

Munthali was arrested alongside former minister of Information Henry Mussa in connection with the disappearance of 10 computers and a genset donated to the ministry by Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra). He was convicted in October 2022 of conspiracy to commit a felony, theft by public servant and receiving stolen items.

The two had since appealed the sentence and Munthali applied for bail pending the appeal. The High Court in Lilongwe was supposed to rule on the bail application yesterday morning.

But Justice Eddah Ngwira adjourned to September 27 a ruling on the bail application and the hearing of the appeal to October 3 after State lawyers asked for more time to revisit their position on the case after President Lazarus Chakwera pardoned Mussa earlier in July.

In his submission, State advocate Edward Patridge also informed the court that he had not submitted skeletal arguments to the defence team because Mussa’s pardon would require a change in direction regarding Munthali’s application.

In response, defence lawyer Chrispine Mndala agreed that it would be fair to grant the State more time to consider the “intervening factors”.

He said: “Such being the case and in the interest of justice, we have no objections to the said adjournment, As stated by the State, they have intervening circumstances in between, it is only fair that the court should grant that adjournment.”

Mndala, however, asked the court to proceed with the ruling on Munthali’s application for bail considering there were enough submissions made before the court to make an independent ruling.

Ngwira said she would make a final ruling on the bail application on September 27, a day after hearing the prosecution’s revisited position on September 26.

The State will have to make its skeletal arguments for the grounds of appeal by October 3.