Tears flowed and prayers were said after High Court of Malawi Judge Mzondi Mvula yesterday delivered a guilty verdict against Anne Mumba accused of murdering her husband Professor Peter Mumba in April 2020.
Soon after the judge pronounced the guilty verdict, the late Mumba’s relations were seen weeping while at the same time expressing gratitude, apparently thanking God for the delivery of justice in the courtroom in Lilongwe.
In contrast, Anne, now a convict, went down on her knees in the witness box, vehemently denying any involvement in her husband’s death.
Tearfully, she declared: “God is my witness! I am not a gold digger. I loved my husband. I did not do those things I am being accused of.”
Mvula’s judgement, read over four hours, highlighted pieces of evidence tendered in the case that suggested that the widow deliberately delayed seeking medical assistance for her sick husband, who was teaching at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The court noted that Mumba died two hours before being taken to the hospital.
In the judgement, the widow’s character was also scrutinised, including the fact that she failed to allocate funds for an autopsy to rule out foul play, but instead she promptly upgraded her husband’s coffin to a casket.
Results of the postmortem, requested by concerned family members, revealed that Mumba died from acute poisoning.
The court further noted that Anne’s previous husband, Yotamu Manda, also died suddenly in 1999. In that regard, Mvula said Anne should have known better the need to act with urgency to take her second husband to the hospital.
Despite the widow’s submission that her husband had taken blood pressure medication and painkillers, the postmortem found no traces of such drugs.
The court described the late Mumba as a vibrant individual who was writing a book and continued to do so until the day of his passing, adding that his contributions to the country extended beyond his lifetime.
Meanwhile, Mvulahas tentatively scheduled July 25 2024 as the sentencing day for the convict.
Both the State and the defence have been requested to submit written arguments on the appropriate sentence.
In an interview after the judgement, Directorate of Public Prosecutions director of criminal litigation DzikoMalunda expressed satisfaction with the judgement and said the decision was well-founded in both legal principles and the factual context of the case.
On his part, defence lawyer Powell Nkhutabasa said the defence will now focus on identifying mitigating factors to present to the court.
