After an unprecedented 17-year remand period, the High Court in Blantyre has finally sentenced Wyson Bannet Big to 36 years imprisonment for murder.
On Monday, September 16, 2024, Justice Dorothy Nyakaunda-Kamanga of the Supreme Court of Appeal, sitting as a High Court Judge, handed down the sentence to Big, who was arrested in May 2007.
Big’s prolonged remand period drew concern from human rights organizations and lawyers, prompting human rights lawyer Alexious Kamangila to request urgent attention.
This highlighted systemic delays in Malawi’s criminal justice system.When delivering the sentence, Justice Nyakaunda-Kamanga stated that Big’s sentence begins from the time of his arrest in 2007, effectively reducing his remaining jail time.
She criticized the lengthy trial and unethical conduct by some legal practitioners.
“We haven’t done well as a criminal justice system, we could do better. Lawyers have been making several motions to have him released. There’s a procedure that has to be followed,” said Justice Kamanga.
Reacting to the long wait, a visibly excited Big told journalists, “I feel good now. There is hope that I will be out of prison should I still live.”
Big’s accomplice, Myson Viera Chizizira, is already serving a life sentence at Zomba Maximum Prison.
The case raises questions about the efficiency and fairness of Malawi’s justice system, sparking calls for reform to prevent similar delays in the future.
