Sheriffs seize ex-minister’s property

Sheriffs have seized K29 million worth of property from former Cabinet minister Grace Chiumia for failure to honour a court ruling.

She is said to have failed to honour a High Court of Malawi ruling delivered in May this year for her to pay 14 former National Registration Bureau (NRB) employees about K25 million for ordering their arrests in 2018.

Lawyer representing the 14, Christon Ghambi, said the High Court in Mzuzu awarded the K43 million.

However, he said Chiumia, who served in various Cabinet portfolios during the Democratic Progressive Party administration, was supposed to pay K25 million while the Attorney General is to pay K18 million in damages.

“Following her failure to honour payment of K25 million the Sheriffs of Malawi were engaged and they acted,” said Ghambi.

He said the rest of the payment will be made by the Attorney General and that he would soon engage government on the same.

According to the Sheriffs of Malawi seizure documents we have seen, the seized items include leather sofa set, Samsung television screen, Defy cooker, fridge, deep freezer, two wooden coffee tables, two double beds with mattresses and two dressing tables.

Both Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda and private practice lawyer John-Gift Mwakhwawa yesterday hailed the court and sheriffs action.

Nyirenda said although he was yet to be contacted on how much his office will have to pay in the Chiumia case, he felt the judgements compelling public officers who act outside their mandate to bear the court costs were a step in the right direction.

Reads the ruling in part: “The police were under orders from the 1st respondent [Chiumia].  They were made to board a police vehicle and taken all the way to Mzuzu Police Station. They were incarcerated for 28 hours during which time they were not allowed any communication with their relations.

Chiumia is not the first public individual to bear the cost for ‘wrong’ decisions made while occupying a public office when the DPP was in power.

Last year, former president Peter Mutharika and former chief secretary to the government Lloyd Muhara were ordered by the court to personally pay K69.5 million legal fees for interfering in the functions of the Judiciary.