Three former human rights leaders are waiting for a court decision that could determine whether an arrest warrant hanging over them will be cancelled or remain in force.
Gift Trapence, Macdonald Sembereka and Timothy Mtambo will learn their fate on Thursday, October 22, 2026, when the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court rules on their bid to cancel the warrant issued over alleged breaches of bail conditions in a case dating back to 2020.
Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda reserved the ruling after hearing arguments from both the State and the defence.
The State argued that the warrant was obtained because the applicants allegedly failed to honour their bail conditions. It further said the three should provide evidence showing that the case had been withdrawn or discontinued.
However, defence lawyer Khwima Mchizi questioned the State’s position, arguing that requiring the applicants to prove the case’s status raised concerns about whether the State itself knew what had happened to the matter.
Mchizi maintained that the case was no longer active and, therefore, the applicants had no reason to continue reporting for bail. He argued that the bail conditions had ceased to exist and could not be revived.
The court is expected to determine whether the arrest warrant should be cancelled when it delivers its ruling on Thursday.