Malawi Court Officers Face Bribery and Fraud Charges, Both Deny Guilt

Two employees of Malawi's Mzuzu High Court face separate criminal charges following arrests by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), according to the bureau's account reported by local newsrooms on 6 and 7 November 2026. Both men appeared in court on 28 October and pleaded not guilty. The charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.

Assistant Sheriff Officer Victor Thumbiko Nyirenda is accused of misuse of public office, soliciting a bribe and theft by a public servant. The ACB alleges that he failed to account for 1.1 million Malawian kwacha received from a judgment debtor and sought a 30,000-kwacha payment to influence a magistrate. Those sums are the subject of allegations, not proven public losses or payments established by a court.

Court Marshal Raniger Simbeye faces separate allegations of providing false information to an ACB officer and producing a false receipt. Investigators allege that he falsely claimed to have transferred 500,000 kwacha to a judgment creditor and created a receipt to support the claim.

The ACB's senior public relations officer, Gift Chisusu Mhone, confirmed the charges in a statement, Nyasa Times reported on 7 November. Malawi24 reported on 6 November that it had reviewed the bureau's press release. The accounts agree that both defendants pleaded not guilty at their 28 October court appearance and that their trials are scheduled to begin on 23 November.

A further, separate case involving Nyirenda concerns an alleged unlawful sale of a vehicle seized by the Sheriff's Office. The ACB says he was re-arrested on 28 October in connection with allegations that the transaction benefited Magistrate Godfrey Nyirenda. That case is scheduled for trial on 12 November. The relationship, if any, between the defendants' cases and other pending proceedings has not been independently established.

The original signed charging documents and court docket were not available in the material reviewed for this initial report. The reported court pleas are denials of guilt, and no conviction is established. Follow-up reporting should check the 12 and 23 November hearing outcomes, the charging documents and any statements by the defendants or their counsel.