From left to right: Deputy Chief Lovemore Chikopa SC; FCD Judge Hon. Anneline Kanthambi; Hon. Chief Justice Mzikamanda SC, Minister of Justice Hon. Titus Mvalo; FCD Judge-in- Charge Hon. Judge Kapindu; FCD Judge Hon. Violet Chipao.
The Chief Justice of the Republic of Malawi, Honourable Justice Rizine Robert Mzikamanda, SC has said that the creation of a specialized division for financial crimes is a great achievement in the promotion of access to justice for all and the fight against corruption in the country.
The Chief Justice made these remarks on 30th May 2024 as he officially opened the Financial Crimes Division of the High Court of Malawi in Lilongwe.
The Chief Justice further said that the Judiciary is committed to the efficient and effective delivery of justice in the face of ever-growing challenges of inadequate financial resources, understaffing and lack of appropriate and adequate office premises. He also called upon all the other divisions of the High Court and all stakeholders to fully recognize and respect the special status of this new division.
The Minister of Justice, Hon. Titus Mvalo, who also attended the opening ceremony, echoed the Chief Justice’s sentiments.
In his remarks, Justice Professor Redson Kapindu, who is the Judge-In-Charge of the Financial Crimes Division, expressed gratitude for the launch of the division as it will deliver independent and impartial justice in financial and economic crimes to the people of Malawi.
The Malawi Parliament established the Financial Crimes in 2022 under the Courts (Amendment) Act, No. 36 of 2022 to deal with financial and economic crimes like fraud, embezzlement, breach of trust, corruption, possession of unexplained wealth suspected to be proceeds of crime, money laundering, forgery of documents, corporate crimes, tax fraud and tax evasion among others.
Several judges and members of the Judiciary, Government officials, the President of the Malawi Law Society, the Attorney General, Ambassadors, heads of missions and diplomatic corps and other development partners, among others, patronized the event.
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