Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Martha Chizuma says police instituted a criminal investigation into the death in custody in 2019 of suspect Buleya Lule after a Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) report.

Testifying as a witness due to her previous role as Ombudsman and commissioner of MHRC, she told the High Court of Malawi in Lilongwe yesterday that findings of the investigation led to the arrest of 13 police officers.

Chizuma’s testimony was mainly derived from the MHRC report on the circumstances that led to the death of Lule, who was suspected of playing a role in the abduction and murder of a boy with albinism in Dedza District.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Lughano Mwabutwa asked why the MHRC conducted the investigation.

In response, Chizuma said the State-funded human rights watchdog was moved by public concerns on social media that Lule’s death was suspicious and moved to get to the bottom of the issue.

Chizuma: There were public concerns

She said: “Specifically, the commission wanted to establish the circumstances surrounding the death to determine the culprits who might have been involved in the death and to establish the human rights violations.”

Mwabutwa also asked about the methodology used in the investigation to which Chizuma said the commission procured a post-mortem conducted by pathologist Dr Charles Dzamalala.

She said: “We also did preliminary inquiries where members of the secretariat visited a number of possible witnesses… The commission also heard from the relations of the late Buleya Lule and police officers and other persons as well.”

The defence and the State are now expected to make their written submissions before the court delivers its judgement.

Lule was arrested for his alleged involvement in the abduction of a boy with albinism in Dedza District. He was arrested by Chitsime Police Unit in Dedza, but was later transferred to Lilongwe Police Station where he died in police custody in February 2019.

Police investigations into his death led to the arrest of the 13 police officers, who pleaded not guilty to charges levelled against them. However, the High Court in 2022 ruled that 10 of the 13 police officers had a case to answer on a charge of murder.

The post MHRC report moved police on Lule—Chizuma first appeared on The Nation Online.