Malawi: Business tycoon jailed for life for killing girlfriend

By James Mwala

Businessman Misozi Chanthunya has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his Zimbabwean girlfriend Linda Gasa a decade ago.

The sentencing came a week after High Court Judge Ruth Chinangwa said in her ruling that the state had presented evidence during the case that proved beyond reasonable doubt that Chanthunya committed the offence.

Chanthunya was also found guilty of concealing death and lying before court.

He was in a relationship with Gasa who at that time was studying at College of Accountancy in the commercial city of Blantyre.

It is said that Court records show that he poisoned the girlfriend in Mangochi where the two had gone to discuss a pregnancy and buried her body in a cottage.

However, it turned out that that Gasa was not pregnant as asserted.

Chanthunya then fled to South Africa before he was extradited back to Malawi a few years ago to answer the murder charges.

He was arrested by Interpol in Rustenburg, South Africa, on January 23 2012 after being on the run for 17 months.

Meanwhile, his lawyer, Michael Goba Chipeta has indicated they will appeal the ruling because they find it has ignored some laws.