By Wezzie Gausi:
High Court Judge Chifundo Kachale Wednesday set February 28 as the date on which he will deliver his sentence for six police officers convicted of murdering Buleya Lule, a man suspected of abducting a boy with albinism in 2019.
The six officers—Paul Chipole, Ikram Malata, Richard Kalawire, Innocent Lwanda, Maxwell Mbuzi and Abel Maseya—were found guilty in December 2024 of murder, neglect of duty and causing bodily harm.
Four other officers, including former Police Commissioner Evelista Mvula Chisale, were acquitted due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
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Wednesday, the defence called two witnesses to testify in mitigation.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police for the South East Region, Stan Bamusi Chaima, testified that the six police officers were operating under immense pressure at the time of the incident.
Chaima, who previously headed the Criminal Investigations Department, told the court that three of the convicts had been part of the Namondwa Special Unit formed in 2013 to combat crime in the Central Region.
He urged the court to consider their past contributions to law enforcement, citing their role in cases such as an armed robbery in Salima, where a security guard was shot, and a case at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, where suspects were arrested for possessing human tissues from a person with albinism.
“The police force was under intense pressure during the Buleya Lule case, especially in an election year when law enforcement operations were heavily influenced by politics,” Chaima told the court.
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The second witness, Alinafe Mbidzi, testified on behalf of her husband, one of the convicted officers.
She chose not to speak extensively and instead submitted written evidence to the court.
Speaking after the proceedings, State lawyer Dzikondianthu Malunda said that the purpose of Wednesday’s hearing was to allow the defence to present its case before sentencing.
“We are satisfied with the evidence given by the witnesses. As it stands, we will be submitting our sentencing disclosures to the court within the next seven days and awaiting the sentencing,” Malunda said.
On the other hand, defence lawyer Lughano Mwabutwa argued that the witnesses were presented to highlight the good work the convicted officers had done prior to the incident.
“What happened was just an accident of the moment, as one of the witnesses testified that the officers were working under pressure,” Mwabutwa said.
Kachale has adjourned the matter to February 20, when both parties will submit their sentencing arguments and review documents.
Lule’s death sparked public outrage after he was accused of abducting a boy with albinism in Dedza District.
His death in police custody intensified calls for accountability and justice within Malawi’s law enforcement system.
