By Chisomo Phiri
The High Court in Blantyre has on Wednesday discharged all charges leveled against former vice-president Cassim Chilumpha and former politician and businessperson Yusuf Matumula in the treason case which started in May 2006.
According to Justice Ruth Chinangwa who heard Chilumpha’s application to have the case discharged three weeks ago, the State has shown no willingness to prosecute the matter which has remained dormant for almost 17 years.
“Apart from that the State is also asking the court for a further 90 days…if at all they were to continue prosecuting the matter. It seems that this matter was a forgotten cause for the State,” said Chinangwa in a judgement dated October 18 2023.
In the criminal cause Number 13 of 2006, Chilumpha applied to be discharged as an accused person or for the action to be dismissed due to what he described as unreasonable delay in prosecuting the matter.
Chilumpha was arrested in May 2006 together with Matumula on allegations of plotting to kill former president late Bingu wa Mutharika using assassins hired from South Africa.
They were accused of the offences of treason contrary to section 38 of the Penal Code & conspiracy to murder contrary to section 227 of the Penal Code.
Chilumpha and the late Mutharika fell out in 2005 after the former president left United Democratic Front , a party that sponsored him into power in 2004, to form his Democratic Progressive Party.
