By Burnett Munthali
The Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe has adjourned to May 26, 2025, the ongoing and politically charged case involving senior UTM Party official Patricia Kaliati, who stands accused of conspiring to assassinate Malawi’s President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
This case, one of the most significant in Malawi’s recent political history, has drawn national attention due to the gravity of the allegations and the high-ranking political figure at the center of it.
During the most recent hearing, the State presented two key witnesses as part of its effort to build the case against Kaliati.
The first witness to take the stand was Police Officer Mclucky Kamphandila, a member of the Criminal Investigations Department.
Officer Kamphandila informed the court that he received credible intelligence reports indicating that Kaliati, along with two unidentified individuals, had planned to assassinate President Chakwera.
He stated that the alleged conspiracy took place over a period spanning from February to July 2024, a timeline he said was based on surveillance and intelligence activities.
The second witness called by the prosecution was Detective Sub-Inspector Chikumbutso Doba, who serves in the Department of Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime.
Detective Doba told the court that he had a face-to-face meeting with Patricia Kaliati on October 19, 2024, at her residence.
According to Doba, during this encounter, he managed to obtain a secretly recorded audio in which there was an alleged conversation about a plot to assassinate the President.
The State presented this audio recording as a key piece of evidence to support the charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
However, the defense team, led by prominent lawyer Khwima Mchizi, mounted a strong challenge against the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence.
Mchizi argued before the court that the testimony provided by Detective Doba was riddled with inconsistencies and that the sequence of events did not align with established facts.
He further questioned the integrity of the audio recording, suggesting that it may have been manipulated or taken out of context.
Mchizi emphasized that his client, Patricia Kaliati, has been a public servant and politician for many years and that such allegations require rigorous scrutiny and unquestionable evidence.
He warned the court against making premature judgments based on intelligence reports and recordings whose authenticity and chain of custody had not been adequately established.
The court, after listening to both sides, ruled that the case be adjourned to May 26, 2025, to allow the State to bring two additional witnesses to testify.
Observers from both the legal fraternity and the general public are closely watching the proceedings, which have potential political and legal ramifications for the UTM Party and the broader Tonse Alliance.
As the case develops, questions continue to swirl around the nature of the alleged conspiracy, the reliability of intelligence evidence, and the broader implications for Malawi’s democratic and political stability.
All eyes will now be on the court when it reconvenes, as the next set of witnesses could significantly shape the outcome of this high-stakes trial.
