By Pemphero Malimba:
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Richard Chimwendo Banda has been remanded to Maula Prison in Lilongwe after being discharged from a Lilongwe-based hospital on Monday, The Daily Times has learned.
“I can confirm that he has been discharged from the hospital and, since he is already on remand, he has been committed to Maula Prison, so that is where he is,” Chimwendo Banda’s lawyer, George Kadzipatike, said.
He added that his client would be waiting for a bail ruling following an application made to the High Court last week.
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“We hope that the court will deliver its ruling as soon as possible, considering the ailing condition of my client,” Kadzipatike said.
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Earlier this month, police arrested Chimwendo Banda on allegations of attempted murder and abduction allegedly committed in 2021 together with Alfred Dallah Kadula.
Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda directed that Chimwendo Banda should receive medical treatment before proceeding to prison on remand.
This followed a plea by the MCP secretary general’s lawyers during court proceedings shortly after the court informed him of the charges against him.
His lawyers told the court that Chimwendo Banda had been unwell since his arrest due to a longstanding medical condition.
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“Once the accused has recovered and been certified fit by medical practitioners, he can proceed to be remanded in prison pending his trial at the High Court,” Kadzipatike told the court during a previous bail application hearing at the Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court.
Apart from Chimwendo Banda, other MCP senior officials who have recently been arrested include former Trade and Industry Minister Vitumbiko Mumba, who was also the party’s running mate in the September 16 general election.
MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila was also arrested during the same wave of arrests before being granted bail by the court.
MCP has criticised the arrests, describing them as politically motivated and accusing the government of using law enforcement to weaken the opposition. Government officials, however, have maintained that anyone suspected of wrongdoing must face the law regardless of political affiliation.
