Africa-Press – Malawi. Mediation talks between High Court Commercial Division judge Kennan Manda and lawyer Alexious Kamangila collapsed Wednesday at the High Court in Lilongwe after the two parties failed to agree on a K250 million settlement.
Last year, Manda filed a complaint with the court following a Facebook post by Kamangila, in which he alleged that Manda was involved in corruption.
Both parties were supposed to present their arguments before Justice Simeone Mdeza, but they failed to reach a mutual understanding, leading to the case being reassigned to another judge.
According to Kamangila’s lawyer, Dick Kamowa, the case will now be heard by a different judge who will preside over the trial.
“Mediation was conducted, but the parties have failed to reach a consensus sufficient to warrant signing a settlement agreement. So, the judge had no choice but to terminate the mediation,” Kamowa said.
He added that the judge had also refused to grant the request from the respondent’s side to transfer the matter to Blantyre, as the claimant, Justice Manda, is a resident of Lilongwe.
In a ruling by Mdeza on the matter, seen by The Daily Times, had the defendant argued that they would need to transport multiple witnesses from Blantyre to Lilongwe, the court might have considered the matter differently, as the logistical and financial implications of moving witnesses could indeed raise concerns about fairness and proportionality.
“The defendant’s argument is confined to his own travel and that of his counsel, both of which are reasonable and expected components of litigation.
“For the foregoing reasons, the defendant’s application to transfer proceedings from the Lilongwe Registry to the Principal Registry is denied,” the ruling reads.
Manda took Kamangila to court following allegations made on social media by the lawyer, who accused the judge and other officers of corruption.
The issue attracted widespread public interest, with civil society organisations and the Women Lawyers Association calling for action on the allegations
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