By Suleman Chitera
The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe has temporarily blocked the State from executing a search warrant at Namuleri Farms Limited in Kasungu, owned by Leader of Opposition and former Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda.
The decision effectively freezes any search or seizure at the farm until the court determines a legal challenge mounted by the company. The warrant, which authorities intended to execute, was obtained by the State on Monday, December 15.
Confirming the development, Banda’s lawyer George Jivason Kadzipatike told Nation Online shortly after the ruling that the court had granted a stay.
“Yes, I have indeed obtained a stay and I am on my way to Area 30 police to serve them,” Kadzipatike said.
At the centre of the dispute is fertiliser stored at the farm, which the State claims belongs to the government. However, Kadzipatike said the claim was unsupported.
According to the lawyer, authorities failed to provide batch numbers or serial numbers to prove ownership of the fertiliser, raising serious questions about the basis of the warrant.
The court has since scheduled an inter partes hearing for Thursday, when both the State and Namuleri Farms are expected to argue their case.
The ruling delivers a temporary legal shield to Banda as scrutiny intensifies around the matter, with the next court appearance likely to determine whether the State can proceed—or whether the warrant collapses under legal challenge.
