By Chisomo Phiri
High Court judge, Justice Chifundo Kachale on Friday February 28,2025 sentenced six police officers who were convicted for the murder of a suspect in police custody, Buleya Lule.
Handing the judgments in Lilongwe, Justice Kachale said the first convict, Paul Chipole, will serve a 20-year jail term, while the second convict, Ikram Malata, will serve a 18-year sentence for the counts of murder.
He said the other four, Richard Kalawire, Innocent Wanda, Maxwell Mbidzi and Abel Maseya will serve 15 years imprisonment each for the same offense.
On the second count of causing grievous harm, Justice Kachale said since this was the cause of the death of the suspect, the court cannot impose a separate sentence from that offence.
On his part,Lead defence lawyer, Lugano Mwabutwa said they are happy with the judgements, while state prosecutor, Dzikondianthu Malunda, expressed satisfaction with the outcome because in their submission, they had proposed such sentences.
Lule tragically died in police custody on the morning of February 21, 2019, at Lilongwe Police Station, when he was arrested in connection to his alleged involvement in the abduction of a boy with albinism.
