LILONGWE, Malawi
The step-son of Malawi's former
President Peter Mutharika has been acquitted of all charges in a case in which
he was accused of human trafficking and aggravated manslaughter.The mass grave was initially discovered after young boys nearby reported a foul smell
Tadikira Mafubza and seven
other men were arrested in November 2022 after police said they were linked
with the deaths of 29 suspected Ethiopian immigrants whose bodies were found in
an unmarked mass grave.
Ex-President Mutharika said at
the time he was shocked by the police action, saying his step-son was arrested
without there being any evidence linking him to any crime.
After an ordeal lasting more
than 19 months, Mr Mafubza and his co-accused were cleared following a full
trial.
"We are pleased with the
outcome," Mr Mafubza's lawyer said on Wednesday.
"To be honest, we saw it
coming as the evidence [against our client] was disjointed."
However, Dzikondianthu
Malunda, an official for the Directorate of Public Prosecution, said the ruling
had "come as a surprise".
Mr Mafubza himself declined to
comment on his acquittal as he left the courtroom on Wednesday, only stopping to
pose for photographers' pictures.
In October 2022, police found
a grave filled with dozens of bodies in a forest in the northern district of
Mzimba after young boys reportedly detected a foul smell.
The corpses were of boys and
men believed to be Ethiopian migrants being trafficked to South Africa.
Malawi is a major trafficking
route for migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia.
After police launched a search
for Mr Mafubza, he handed himself over at their headquarters in the capital,
Lilongwe.
The former governing
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had described his arrest as a political
witch-hunt against Mr Mutharika's family and his supporters.
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