The High Court sitting in Lilongwe has ordered that Martha Chizuma, Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau testify in a case in which ten police officers are being accused of causing the death of Buleya Lule.

This follows an application by the defence to call Chizuma to testify about a report she authored as Commissioner of the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC).

Lule was arrested in February in 2019 after suspects who admitted to abducting Goodson Makanjira – a 14-year-old boy with albinism – told a court in Lilongwe that he (Buleya) promised to give them K800,000 for kidnapping the boy.

After appearing in court, Buleya was taken into police custody where he died. An autopsy conducted by pathologist Dr Charles Dzamalala revealed that Buleya was electrocuted. A report by the Malawi Human Rights Commission later revealed that Buleya’s arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

Last year, government paid K44 million compensations to Lule’s widow.