Tadikira Mafubza: Peter Mutharika’s stepson acquitted in migrant death case

The stepson of former Malawian President Peter Mutharika has been acquitted of all charges in a trial in which he was accused of human trafficking and aggravated murder.

Tadikira Mafubza and seven other men were arrested in November 2022 after police said they were linked to the deaths of 29 suspected Ethiopian immigrants whose bodies were found in an unmarked mass grave.

Former President Mutharika expressed shock at the police’s actions and said his stepson had been arrested without any evidence linking him to any crime.

After an ordeal lasting more than 19 months, Mr Mafubza and his co-defendants were acquitted following a due process of law.

“We are satisfied with the result,” Mr Mafubza’s lawyer said on Wednesday.

“Frankly, we saw it coming because the evidence (against our client) was incoherent.”

However, Dzikondianthu Malunda, a prosecutor, said the verdict was “a surprise.”

Mr Mafubza himself declined to comment on his acquittal as he left the courtroom on Wednesday, stopping only to pose for photographers’ photos.

In October 2022, police found a grave containing dozens of bodies in a forest in the northern Mzimba district after young boys reportedly noticed a foul smell.

The bodies were probably Ethiopian migrants who were trafficked to South Africa.

Malawi is an important smuggling route for migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia.

After police launched a manhunt for Mr Mafubza, he turned himself in to their headquarters in the capital, Lilongwe.

The former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had described his arrest as a political witch hunt against Mutharika’s family and his supporters.