Africa-Press – Malawi. The high-profile corruption case involving notorious Chinese wildlife crime convict Lin Yun Hua, which was being presided over by Lilongwe’s Principal Resident Magistrate Benjamin Chulu, has now been committed to the High Court of Malawi.
The move follows the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) certification of the matter as a “summary procedure trial” to be heard by the High Court.
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Principal Legal and Prosecution Officer, Peter Sambani, confirmed the development, describing it as a normal administrative arrangement—transferring a case from a lower court to a higher court.
“The certification means the record will now be forwarded to the Registrar of the High Court. The court will then assign the case to a judge who will determine the direction of the matter according to his or her own schedule.
“We will wait and proceed with the directions of the judge and start parading witnesses,” Sambani said.
The corruption charges paint a damning picture of Yun Hua’s privileged life behind bars when he served his 14-year sentence over wildlife trafficking and money laundering.
He is accused of offering MK30 million and construction work to the former Maula Prison boss Aaron Ganyavu Kaunda, in exchange for unsanctioned trips out of jail to his house and for personal errands. He also allegedly tried to bribe Judge Violet Chipao, then a magistrate presiding over his wildlife trafficking case.
Yun Hua faces five counts of abuse of public office and charges under Section 24 and 25B of the Corrupt Practices Act.
Sentenced in 2021 for trafficking rhino horn and laundering money, Lin Yun Hua is the ringleader of a transnational Chinese syndicate that plundered Africa’s wildlife.
Once dubbed Malawi’s most notorious environmental criminal, he was recently on the verge of walking free after a controversial presidential pardon—despite serving less than half of his 14-year sentence for wildlife trafficking and money laundering.
The ACB had swiftly stepped in to block his release in order to secure him for the corruption trial.
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