The State Tuesday applied for revocation of bail for former presidential security aide Norman Chisale in a case where he is facing the charge of attempted murder, arguing that he was interfering with witnesses.
Chisale is being accused of attempting to kill Blantyre-based woman Sigere Amani.
State prosecutor Pilirani Masanjala told the court that the State was convinced that Chisale had been contacting State witnesses.
“We formed a view that he was interfering with one of our witnesses. We were supposed to go to the scene of the crime and we had a witness lined up to do that but, when everybody came— the court, the State, the accused, the defence counsel— our witness did not show up, instead we had to use the investigator as our witness. His number was not available and we failed to reach him the whole morning,” he said.
In a twist of events, the witness, Moses Banda, later came to the court premises, but only after the case was adjourned.
Chisale later looked angry, saying he was not amused that the person he was being accused of interfering with actually later showed up at court and said the State’s application was all made up.
State investigator Henry Malange also alleged that Banda complained to the police that Chisale was interfering with him.
In his testimony, Malange said Amani came to the police station while bleeding and a statement was recorded from him before she was taken to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre for treatment.
Malange said he used to visit Amani at the hospital until the day he learned that she had been discharged from the hospital.
He told the court that he later learnt that it was Chisale who took Amani to her home village.
Defence lawyer Chancy Gondwe said he was impressed with the progress being made in the case.
“The investigator was here testifying but, even from the evidence of the investigator, there is nothing to buttress their case of attempted murder,” he said.
On the State’s application for the court to revoke Chisale’s bail, Gondwe said the State was bringing such issues because it realised that it was losing credibility in the case.
“That is what happens when you, as a lawyer, know that your case is losing credibility. They were lying that Moses Banda was not here but he was here,” he said.