Malawi's Attorney General takes over defence of Parliament speaker
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mwnation
Malawian Attorney General Frank Mbeta has taken over the defence of Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman and the parliamentary secretariat in the case concerning joint committees. He replaced private lawyer Bright Theu after concluding that the case raised constitutional questions, Mwnation reports.
Malawi’s Attorney General, Frank Mbeta, has taken over the legal representation of Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman and the parliamentary secretariat in proceedings concerning parliamentary committees of inquiry. The change of legal counsel was filed at the High Court on 19 October 2026, according to the notice of change of legal counsel.
Mbeta said he had taken charge of the case because it concerns Parliament and the Speaker’s responsibilities, which fall within his role as the government’s principal legal adviser. He said his office had not initially received the documents sent to Parliament. Suleman said his office knew of the Attorney General’s intervention but had not been consulted about the decision.
The case concerns joint committees Suleman ordered to be established in August to investigate 12 subjects, including fuel supply, electricity, mining, fertilisers, pensions and passport issuance. Their work has been suspended since Austin Mkoka obtained an injunction from the High Court. The Speaker of Parliament challenged the suspension on 8 October (his appeal against the suspension).
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
