NICE-facilitated camp court frees suspects in Mchinji

Malawi: Crime suspects and communities in Mchinji have praised the Chilungamo Program of the National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Public Trust for improving access to justice for Malawi's most vulnerable groups, writes Watipaso Mzungu.

With financial support from the European Union (EU), NICE is implementing the Access to Justice Programme to facilitate the administration of justice for all in courts.

Camp courts are one of the program's components. NICE held a camp court at Mchinji Police Station on Wednesday, where law enforcement and paralegal officers screened cases of suspects on remand.

At the conclusion of the exercise, three suspects charged with human trafficking were granted bail, while several others were found to have no case to answer.

Emmanuel Pilirani Banda, Mchinji NICE District Civic Education Officer, stated that the main goal of the camp court is to promote the rule of law by expediting the administration of justice for people suspected of breaking the law.

"NICE is particularly concerned about the delays in delivering justice to suspects." "It is against this backdrop that we launched this programme to facilitate the prompt delivery of justice to all suspects, regardless of their financial or economic status," Banda explained.

Communities and senior officers at Mchinji Police Station praised the camp court for not only expediting justice but also decongesting police cells.