High Court of Malawi - 2019

222 judgments

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222 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2019
24 December 2019
Petitioner proved tampering and procedural failures that affected the result; court nullified election and ordered a re-run.
Election law – Section 114 PPEA – election petition and burden of proof; electoral irregularities and tampering; duty to supply duplicate signed polling-station result sheets (s.93 PPEA); failure of Electoral Commission to produce official tally records; nullification and order for re-run.
20 December 2019
19 December 2019
19 December 2019
16 December 2019
16 December 2019
13 December 2019
12 December 2019
November 2019
21 November 2019
Proceedings struck out because they were commenced under superseded rules and instituted by an unlicensed practitioner.
Civil procedure — Rules of Court: RSC superseded by CPR 2017 — Proceedings instituted under former rules invalid; Right of audience — Legal practitioner must hold current practising licence — Processes instituted by unlicensed practitioner are nullities; Relief — striking out and costs.
21 November 2019
15 November 2019
14 November 2019
October 2019
29 October 2019
29 October 2019
29 October 2019
25 October 2019
24 October 2019
22 October 2019
14 October 2019
14 October 2019
14 October 2019
14 October 2019
2 October 2019
September 2019
30 September 2019
27 September 2019
22 September 2019
20 September 2019
Claimant awarded general damages for pain and loss of amenities; special damages limited to police report cost.
Personal injury – assessment of damages – fracture of distal tibia – general damages for pain and suffering and loss of amenities – proof of special damages required – award for police report only – reliance on comparable local authorities and consideration of award timing.
10 September 2019
August 2019
30 August 2019
21 August 2019
A court-ordered settlement is a consent judgment and can only be set aside by fresh proceedings showing fraud, mistake, or misrepresentation.
Civil procedure – Settlement agreements executed in court are deemed judgments – No appeal lies against such agreements – Setting aside requires fresh proceedings and proof of fraud, mutual mistake or misrepresentation – Consent-judgment principles apply to mediation settlements.
14 August 2019
13 August 2019
13 August 2019
Court awarded MK4,500,000 for four days' wrongful detention in poor police cell conditions.
False imprisonment — unlawful detention without charge — damages for loss of liberty, humiliation and mental suffering — quantification by comparable awards — overcrowded police cell — award MK4,500,000.
12 August 2019
The respondent unlawfully charged interest using an incorrect formula and on penalties, and breached the mandatory 42‑day reply duty.
Tax law — Rule 7 mandatory duty to file grounds and reply within 42 days; interest calculation — unlawful charging of interest before tax due; use of non‑statutory formula; interest to be computed on unpaid tax only; amendments operate prospectively; judicial review available for illegality issues.
9 August 2019
8 August 2019
8 August 2019
8 August 2019
8 August 2019
5 August 2019
5 August 2019
July 2019
A District Commissioner lacked power to constitute an appellate chiefs’ tribunal; the reinstatement decision was quashed as ultra vires.
Administrative law – judicial review – Wednesbury unreasonableness; Chiefs Act – chieftaincy disputes; District Commissioner’s powers – ultra vires; certiorari; mandamus; locus standi.
30 July 2019
High Court enforces Supreme Court orders and convicts officials for contempt for failing to publish ordered apologies.
Enforcement of appellate orders — High Court jurisdiction under Rule 20 — contempt of court for failure to comply with Supreme Court of Appeal directive to publish apologies — late, post-deadline compliance insufficient to cure contempt.
30 July 2019
Petitioner failed to prove that alleged electoral irregularities and improprieties materially affected the election result; petition dismissed.
Election law – Election petitions – Burden of proof on petitioner to prove irregularities and material effect on result; Electoral Commission duties under Constitution and PPE; Proof and admissibility of monitors' evidence; Counting and tallying errors (Emazwini polling station – 136 unaccounted votes) – negligence proved but no impact on outcome; Remedy: annulment/re-run requires proof of result-affecting irregularity.
29 July 2019
15 July 2019
15 July 2019
Claimant awarded K4,800,000 for severe lower‑limb fractures, degloving injury, pain, loss of amenities and disfigurement; costs to claimant.
Personal injury — assessment of damages — closed tibia/fibula fractures, open metatarsal fracture, degloving wound — hospitalisation and outpatient treatment — 50% incapacity — quantum for pain and suffering, loss of amenities and disfigurement — costs awarded to claimant.
11 July 2019
Assessment of damages for claimant’s personal injuries resulting from a vehicle accident; award K2.5 million and costs.
Personal injury — Assessment of damages — Pain and suffering, loss of amenities, disfigurement — Use of comparable awards to fix quantum — Award of K2,500,000 and costs to claimant.
11 July 2019
11 July 2019
Expiry of the 90‑day custody limit renders detention unlawful but does not automatically entitle the accused to bail; interests of justice prevail.
Criminal procedure – statutory 90‑day custody limit (s161G) – effect of expiry of lawful custody – discretion to consider interests of justice – flight risk and strength of State evidence as grounds to refuse bail – court’s duty to expedite trial to prevent unlawful prolonged detention.
10 July 2019