BREAKING: High Court Halts Speaker Suleman’s Planned Parliamentary Investigations

The High Court in Blantyre has issued an injunction stopping Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman and Parliament from proceeding with the establishment of joint ad hoc committees to investigate alleged governance issues in government departments and state-owned institutions.

The order, issued by Justice Mitton Mhone on 4 September 2026, follows an application by Malawian citizen Austin Mkoka, who has challenged the Speaker’s decision to establish the committees.

The court has granted Mkoka permission to apply for judicial review and ordered that the hearing of the inter-partes application should take place within 14 days.

According to the injunction, any processes intended to establish or institute joint ad hoc committees of Parliament to investigate alleged governance issues at the Immigration and Citizenship Services Department, ESCOM, EGENCO, Power Market Limited (PML), Blantyre Water Board, NOCMA and any other government department, ministry or agency are stayed until further order of the court.

The court has also warned that anyone who disobeys the order may be found guilty of contempt of court and could face imprisonment, a fine or seizure of assets.

The development comes barely days after Speaker Suleman announced the formation of 12 joint parliamentary committees to investigate issues of public concern. Parliament said the committees were established as part of its constitutional oversight mandate.

Among the issues earmarked for investigation were alleged suspicious transactions at NOCMA, mining governance, fertiliser coupon distribution, prison conditions, access to justice, passport services, pension concerns and the performance and unbundling of the electricity sector involving ESCOM, EGENCO and PML.

The committees were also expected to look into concerns surrounding the Blantyre Water Board, delays in the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project and complaints from local transporters over the preference for international transporters.

Mkoka’s legal challenge questions whether Parliament has the constitutional authority to establish the proposed committees and conduct the investigations.

His application names Speaker Suleman and Parliament of Malawi as respondents.