Former Deputy Chief of Staff of State Residences in the Chakwera administration, Godfrey Arthur Jalale, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft after allegedly stealing four German Shepherd dogs valued at K4 million from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.

Jalale, who was arrested on Friday, is accused of committing the offence between 19 September and 4 October this year. He appeared before the Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where the formal charge was read and his plea of not guilty entered. 

Immediately after the plea was recorded, Jalale’s lawyer, Khwima Mchizi, applied for his client’s release, arguing that the State had violated the constitutional 48-hour rule, which requires that a suspect be brought before court within two days of arrest.

“I believe the law is there for a purpose. It should not be applied to suit certain situations. If the law says a suspect must be brought before court within 48 hours, then that must apply to everyone, not only to those with legal representation,” argued Mchizi.

However, State prosecutor Felix Senzani opposed the bail application and instead asked the court to remand Jalale for an additional seven days to allow investigators to conclude their inquiries.

“We have not yet concluded investigations. Therefore, we pray that the accused person remains in custody for seven more days to complete the process,” Senzani told the court.

Mchizi objected, insisting that releasing his client on bail would not interfere with ongoing investigations.

“We should not be made to believe that investigations cannot be conducted while the accused is on bail. The State can still carry out its work without holding him in custody,” he said.

Senior Resident Magistrate Robert Botha has since reserved his ruling on the bail application to Wednesday.