Court, police clash over suspects’ release
Finger-pointing has ensued between the police and the Judiciary over the mysterious release on bail of two suspects arrested in connection with the murder and beheading of three family members in Lilongwe.
The two suspects—Botis Mphiningo, 45, and his 21-year-old brother Malekano—were arrested in April last year alongside their alleged accomplice Sekile Mzunda.
The trio is suspected of gruesomely murdering and beheading Dalius Chawinga, 43, his 33-year-old wife Queen Zgambo, who was also seven months pregnant and their five-year-old daughter, Olivia.
The three slain family members from Rumphi District met their fate on April 13 2017 and their bodies were dumped at Bunda forest in the outskirts of Lilongwe City. They had gone to Lilongwe to buy a car.
However, it has now emerged that the two Mphiningo brothers, who were on full remand at Maula Prison in Lilongwe, are out on bail and the circumstances leading to their release remain a mystery as both the police and the court are feigning ignorance on how their bail was processed.
Furthermore, their court file cannot be traced at the High Court Lilongwe Registry. The dates when bail was granted to them is not known either. But the only date documented is July 26 2017 when their bail application was denied.
In an interview, acting assistant registrar of the High Court Lilongwe registry Madalitso Khoswe confirmed that the bail was indeed granted, but could not divulge more details referring the issue to the police.
But a court clerk within the registry who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Nation that the Mphiningos were granted bail in January this year.
Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula said the police was ignorant of anything relating to the bail of the two suspects.
He expressed ignorance on the status or progress of the whole case and referred The Nation back to the High Court.
On the day they were murdered, the family informed their relations at home that they were at Road Traffic Department in Lilongwe to register their vehicle.
Chawinga, who was a primary school head teacher, came from Chilundika Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Katumbi in Rumphi while his wife was from Mlongoti Village, T/A Chikulamayembe in the same district. n
