Chief Justice Richard Banda President of the CMJA from 2000-2003

LILONGWE, Malawi - March 14, 2014 - PRLog -- Chief Justice Richard Banda was the Chief Justice of Malawi until December 2002 and is now in private practice. Justice Richard Banda, SC is a barrister at law, having been called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn in July 1966. After his call to the Bar, he entered the Malawi Government Legal Service where he served in different capacities until 1970 when he was appointed the Director of Public Prosecutions. During this period, he was asked to act as Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice. In April 1972 he was appointed Attorney General, and later in the same year, he was created Senior Counsel and was the first Malawian to be so honoured after Independence. He served in this capacity for two years until 1974, when he was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General and was also responsible for the Portfolio of Local Government. He served in these capacities until February 1976, when he left Government. He stayed out of practice for four years until April 1980, when he was re-appointed into the Judicial Service to fill the new office of Chief Resident Magistrate which had been created. He served in this position for nine months, until November 1980, when he was appointed a Judge of the High Court and Supreme Court of Malawi. He served in this position until February 1992, when he was appointed Chief Justice of Malawi. He continues to serve in this position up to this time. Chief Justice Richard Banda was appointed an Honorary Life Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies, a constituent organisation of the University of London. He has also recently been invited and is an Honorary Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. Chief Justice Richard Banda has been a keen sportsman in the past. He played soccer and captained the National Team and was also an athlete, having represented Malawi in the High Jump. Chief Justice Richard Banda is a former President of the Football Association of Malawi and he is the current President of the Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association of Malawi. He enjoys watching sports and now plays golf.


He was the President of the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association (CMJA) from 2000-2003.