
The Malawi High Court ruled on Friday that former President Peter Mutharika and former Chief Secretary of Government Lloyd Muhura would personally pay the full cost of the litigation for violating their constitutional mandate in light of their order to release the president of the Supreme Court Andrew Nyirenda and another judge. pending retirement.
The directive issued before the presidential re-election defeat in June was signed by Muhura and later withdrawn by Mutharika. However, the matter was taken to court for judicial review, as several groups, including the influential Malawi Lawyers Society and the Magistrates Association, believed that the directive had been an interference with judicial independence.
The court found that Mutharika and Muhura had acted “defiantly, were unreasonable, unwise and acted outside of their constitutional mandate,” and the presiding judge ordered the clerk of the High Court to calculate the amount to be paid.
Some estimate that this could amount to tens of thousands of US dollars.