High Court of Malawi - 2001 April

9 judgments

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9 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
April 2001
Whether an amended costs rule applies to judgments entered before its commencement or only prospectively.
Subsidiary legislation – Interpretation of amended scale of costs – Prospective versus retrospective application – Operative date for collection costs is date of judgment – Recovery of collection costs only if expressly awarded as part of the judgment debt.
29 April 2001
An ex parte stay of execution requires full disclosure and particulars of any meritorious defence; bare assertions will be vacated.
Civil procedure – Stay of execution – Order 47/1 – Ex parte applications – Duty of full and frank disclosure by counsel – Meritorious defence must be particularised – Summary judgment – Vacatur of stay.
27 April 2001
Appeal dismissed: joint-enterprise conviction for attempted robbery and three-year sentence affirmed.
Criminal law – Attempted robbery – Joint enterprise/acting in concert (s.21 Penal Code) – Credibility of complainant – Aggravated robbery where committed in company – Sentence proportionality.
23 April 2001
The court confirmed the rape conviction and increased the respondent's sentence from three to seven years for gang rape.
Criminal law – Rape – Gang rape – Sentence – Manifestly inadequate sentence – Confirmation/appeal review – Sentence enhancement – Consistency with precedent (Rep v Ganizani Layelo).
11 April 2001
Conviction for gang rape confirmed; three-year sentence increased to seven years as manifestly inadequate.
Criminal law – Rape – Gang rape – Appropriate sentence for multiple perpetrators and repeated sexual assaults – Confirmation of conviction and enhancement of manifestly inadequate sentence – Precedent consistency in sentencing.
11 April 2001
The respondent's conviction was confirmed and the burglary sentence increased from 30 months to six years' imprisonment.
Criminal law – Burglary – Sentence confirmation and enhancement – Burglary maximum penalty (death or life) – High Court starting point six years – Absence of serious mitigating factors – Concurrent theft sentence.
11 April 2001
Court ordered estate administrators to render accounts and join the Administrator General, refusing immediate revocation despite mismanagement.
Administration of estates – duty of administrator to call in assets, pay creditors, account and protect minors’ interests – failure to account – revocation of letters of administration discretionary – alternative remedies: joinder of Administrator General and applicants, mandatory accounting and scheme for minors – costs against defaulting administrators.
6 April 2001
Whether administrators who fail to account should be compelled to render accounts and protect minor beneficiaries rather than immediately removed.
Administration of estates – duty to render accounts – obligation to provide scheme for minor beneficiaries – revocation of letters of administration as a remedy – joinder of Administrator General and family representative – costs against defaulting administrators
5 April 2001
The applicant’s failure to produce the insurance policy defeated his crop indemnity claim for hail damage.
Insurance law – non-production of policy document bars extrinsic proof of its terms; broker agency (broker as insured's agent); burden to plead and prove special damage; failure to prove indemnity claim.
5 April 2001