The Supreme Court of Appeal has granted bail to Anne Mumba, who is serving a 53-year prison sentence for the murder of her husband, Professor Peter Mumba, pending the outcome of her appeal against both conviction and sentence.
Mumba was convicted by the High Court in November last year for the killing of her husband at their Area 38 home in Lilongwe in 2020.
The court found that Professor Mumba died from poisoning and sentenced his wife to 53 years imprisonment.
Following the conviction, Mumba, through her lawyers, filed an appeal on November 22 at the Supreme Court of Appeal, challenging the trial court’s findings.
She later applied for bail pending appeal at the High Court, but the application was dismissed.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Sylvester Kalemba, the High Court rejected her bid for temporary release, prompting Mumba to seek a stay of sentence and bail from the Supreme Court of Appeal.
The higher court has now overturned that decision, allowing her release on bail as her appeal awaits determination.
In her grounds of appeal, Mumba argues that while the trial court concluded that her husband died from poisoning, the prosecution failed to prove that she administered the poison.
She further contends that the alleged poison was never identified during the trial.
In granting bail, the Supreme Court of Appeal held that continued incarceration was not justified at this stage.
“Balancing all the relevant factors cumulatively and guided by the overarching requirement that the court act in the interest of justice, the court is satisfied that continued detention pending determination of the appeal is not necessary,” the ruling states.
Mumba, now 56, was found guilty of unlawfully causing the death of Professor Mumba between April 24 and 25, 2020, a case that attracted significant public attention due to the prominence of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding his death.
