By Rahim Abdul
Controversial Malawian figure Sudi Adaki Sulaimana has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges involving alleged possession of military and police uniforms, firearms, teargas grenades and forged government stamps.
Sulaimana appeared before Chief Resident Magistrate (South) Paul Chiotcha on Wednesday, where South West Police Region prosecution officer Charles Panyani told the court that the accused was allegedly keeping the items at Danga Lodge in Machinjiri, Blantyre.
The court heard that police recovered 46 Malawi Defence Force uniforms, four Malawi Police Service uniforms, two pistols and teargas hand grenades from the premises.
Panyani said Sulaimana, who was arrested on July 16, 2026, was also allegedly found in possession of forged stamps purportedly belonging to several public institutions.
The alleged stamps include those for the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Justice, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, the High Court of Malawi, various magistrates’ courts and the National Bank of Malawi.
Sulaimana, who is representing himself, denied all 21 counts when they were read to him in court.
The allegations relating to military and police uniforms have raised concerns over possible impersonation, while the alleged possession of firearms and teargas grenades forms part of the State’s case against him.
The alleged forged government stamps have also added another dimension to the case, as such seals are used to authenticate official documents from government institutions, courts, hospitals and financial institutions.
The latest case has attracted attention because Sulaimana has previously been involved in several high-profile legal battles spanning more than three decades.
He is known for having faced treason charges twice under two different presidents. His first treason case dates back to the early 1990s during the final years of Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s rule.
Sulaimana was detained for years before Malawi’s transition to multiparty democracy in 1994. His continued detention after the release of political prisoners was later challenged in court, leading to his release.
In 2001, during the presidency of Bakili Muluzi, Sulaimana was again arrested and charged with treason. The State alleged that he and five Malawi Defence Force soldiers planned attacks on MBC Chichiri, TVM Kwacha and Sanjika Palace.
He and the soldiers were later released, while politician Brown Mpinganjira, who was also mentioned in connection with the alleged plot, was freed.
Sulaimana later said the case cost him his job and disrupted his studies in the United Kingdom, prompting him to sue the State for damages.
His name has also surfaced in other high-profile matters, including the 1997 robbery of teachers’ salaries at the Blantyre District Education Office, although he was not charged over the case.
In 2017, he was accused in a separate money-multiplication case involving K317 million. He later returned to Malawi from South Africa in 2018 and was arrested.
Sulaimana’s latest court appearance therefore marks another chapter in a long legal history that has kept him in the public spotlight.
The court has not yet set a trial date and Sulaimana remains in custody.
