Former Cabinet minister Patricia Kaliati’s case Tuesday failed to go before court for reasons that are yet to be established.
By 9am, Kaliati had already arrived at court premises. It was the time the court had scheduled for case commencement.
However, State representatives were nowhere to be seen.
Later, Kaliati’s lawyer told her to leave court premises.
Kaliati’s lawyer Khwima Mchizi said they were ready for proceedings, only to learn that the case would not go through Tuesday.
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“We were ready to proceed and really wanted the case to move quickly. The State has not filed the case disclosures,” Mchizi said.
He could not say what exactly led to the postponement of the case.
Instead, he referred us to the State.
State representatives were not available at the court for a comment.
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Malawi Police Service spokesperson Peter Kalaya did not pick our calls when we tried to get the State’s reaction.
Kaliati is accused of planning to kill President Lazarus Chakwera between March and June this year.
However, the court did not hear specific details of how she and her alleged accomplices intended to carry out the assassination.
“Patricia Anne Kaliati, Joseph Odala (currently at large), and Frank Daniel Chinedu (currently at large), between the months of March 2024 and June 2024 at Area 44 in the City of Lilongwe, conspired together to kill the Head of State of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera,” Lilongwe Principal Resident Magistrate Roderick Michongwe read out the charges when Kaliati was brought the court last month.
State prosecutor Levison Mangani told the court that police wished to keep Kaliati in custody to continue their investigations.
Mangani further claimed that the State had possessed sufficient evidence, including electronic devices and witnesses, who would testify in the case.
Kaliati was arrested and released on bail last month.
