Africa-Press – Malawi. Principal Resident Magistrate Benjamin Chulu has postponed ruling on a bail application by convicted Chinese national Lin Yunhua to Monday, May 12, 2025, following a heated court session filled with explosive allegations of corruption and judicial manipulation.
Lin, currently serving a 14-year sentence for leading a notorious transnational wildlife trafficking syndicate, returned to the Lilongwe Magistrate Court on Wednesday to request bail—yet again.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) strongly opposed his release, citing Lin’s checkered past of bail-jumping and a pattern of subverting justice through bribery and influence-peddling.
“He has a history of manipulating the system. Lin Yunhua doesn’t deserve bail—he deserves tighter security,” argued ACB lawyer Peter Sambani, accusing the convict of previously bribing public officials to illegally stay at his plush Area 9 residence instead of serving time behind bars.
Sambani further alleged that Lin had been pulling strings from behind prison walls, even attempting to bribe his way into a presidential pardon.
But Lin’s lawyer, Patrick Kalimbuka, hit back, dismissing the claims as “speculative and unsupported by evidence.” He dared the state to prove the allegations with facts, not innuendo.
“There’s no tangible evidence that my client resided outside prison illegally. These are mere accusations, not proof,” Kalimbuka told the court.
Lin’s ongoing legal battles have kept him in the spotlight since his 2020 conviction, a landmark case that unmasked a web of corruption within Malawi’s justice and prison systems.
As the nation watches, the stakes couldn’t be higher: Will the court bow to pressure and grant bail to a man accused of bribing his way through the justice system—or send a strong signal that Malawi’s rule of law still holds firm?
The court will deliver its ruling on Monday, May 12.
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