High Court of Malawi Commercial Division Judge Trouble Kalua has referred suspended lawyer Innocent Tepeka to the Malawi Law Society (MLS) and the Malawi Police Service for investigation over alleged forgery.
The judge issued the order in Lilongwe on August 14 2026 after noting that an urgent application filed under the name of legal firm CB Edwards & Co bore a signature that differed from that of the firm’s managing partner.
The issue surfaced during hearing of Commercial Cause Number 302 of 2026, a civil suit involving Nancy Chagunda and Darlington Benny.
Documents filed in court show that an application for an interlocutory injunction was filed on August 11 2026 under CB Edwards & Co, bearing the purported signature of managing partner Edward Chagalamuka.
But hours later the firm’s litigation manager, Geoffrey Gondwe, formally notified the court that the legal firm was not involved in the matter.
In a letter delivered to the judge at 3pm on the day, he said that Chagalamuka was out of the country and not aware of the filings.
When summoned to the judge’s chambers later that afternoon, Tepeka reportedly presented himself and owned up to the file in the presence of Gondwe.
Kalua observed that practising without a valid licence constitutes professional misconduct under section 89(2)(h) of the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act, 2018 while forgery and uttering forged documents are criminal offences under the Penal Code.
“Practising or purporting to practise without a valid legal practitioner’s practising licence is a disciplinary issue… This whole Mr Tepeka’s conduct brings the profession of the law into serious disrepute,” said the judge.
Kalua also nullified the entire proceedings in the commercial cause, granting the claimant liberty to restart the action afresh through a duly licensed legal practitioner.
MLS chief executive officer Chrispin Ngunde confirmed that the society’s disciplinary committee is aware of the judge’s decision.
