The High Court in Lilongwe has dismissed an application by former President Peter Mutharika`s aide Norman Chisale to unfreeze his bank account.

Chisale`s bank accounts at National Bank of Malawi and First Capital Bank were frozen in July last year following a directive by the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) after noticing what the authority described as suspicious transaction.

According to a ruling by Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda, the freezing directive of Chisale`s bank accounts has been extended further to four months.

Chisale, through his lawyers, applied the unfreezing of the accounts on the basis that he is facing economic hardships.

According Chisale, he is failing to pay school fees for his children, settle medical bills, pay employees, utility bills, legal fees and family`s basic necessities like food and groceries.

But responding to the application, Justice Nyirenda says Chisale has not disclosed the property that he owns as such his expenses cannot be paid out from the frozen accounts.

“All in all, the application by the Claimant to extend the validity of the freezing directive is granted and the prayer by the Defendant that certain of his expenses be met from the frozen accounts is refused.

“The Defendant has made no attempt whatsoever to disclose the property that he owns. As such, the Defendant has not met the conditions set by the Act for the Defendant’s expenses to be paid out of the frozen accounts,” reads part of the ruling.

Currently, Chisale is answering several criminal charges including of alleged murder of Issah Njaunju, money laundering, impersonating a person named in a certificate among others.