By Santos Zefania

Lilongwe, May 6, Mana: The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court has adjourned to May 26, 2025, the case involving Patricia Kaliati, an advisor to the United Transformation Movement (UTM) President. Kaliati is facing charges of conspiring to assassinate President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.

In an interview on Tuesday in Lilongwe, Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda said the state has brought forward 15 witnesses, two of whom have already testified, while the remaining are expected to do so on May 26, when the case has been adjourned.

“The first witness’s testimony was found lacking in credibility, as the court noted the individual appeared to be aligned with the accused and therefore may not have been truthful,” said Banda. “However, the second witness provided credible evidence, having recorded a conversation with Kaliati during a meeting at her residence in Area 44.”

Additionally, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer McLucky Kamphandila, who testified as the second witness on behalf of the state prosecutor, stated that in mid-October 2024, he received information alleging that a group of individuals, led by Patricia Kaliati, were plotting to assassinate President Lazarus Chakwera.

Kamphandila revealed that Patricia Kaliati had close proximity to President Lazarus Chakwera, as they were part of the same government, which, in his view, could have made it easier to carry out an assassination. After following up on the matter and finding the information credible, he summoned Kaliati to his superior, where she was alleged to have planned the assassination between February and June 2024, in Area 44, where she resides.

Kaliati, who is currently out on bail, pleaded not guilty on April 8 to charges of conspiring to assassinate President Chakwera. She was arrested in October 2024 in connection with the alleged plot.