Justice Chikopa sworn in as Deputy Chief Justice

* I must thank the Judiciary, under the enlightened guide of the Chief Justice Mzikamanda, for successfully completing the functional review that resulted in Justice Chikopa’s approval for this appointment

By Sellah Singini, MANA

After the swearing-in ceremony today of Deputy Chief Justice Lovemore Chikopa at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, President Lazarus Chakwera has described the appointment as a remarkable step towards strengthening the judicial system in the country.

Chakwera said the position of the Deputy Chief Justice should be forever a fortress and a shield for Malawi in the defence and advancement of justice, adding that the office bearer’s work never ceases to be a threat to all enemies of Malawi’s peace. 

“Today is a great day because we see the rise of Justice Lovemore Chikopa to the office of Deputy Chief Justice, becoming the first person in the history of Malawi to hold this position, newly established in the Constitution Amendment Bill that I signed into law three years ago.

“I must thank the Judiciary, under the enlightened guide of the Chief Justice Mzikamanda, for successfully completing the functional review that resulted in Justice Chikopa’s approval for this appointment,” Chakwera said.

He described Justice Chikopa as a patriotic person with integrity and capability to hold the position and he, therefore, called upon all Malawians to support Justice Chikopa and to accord his office with all submission.

Speaking in an interview with the media after the swearing-in ceremony, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo said the appointment of Deputy Chief Justice will ease the workload of the office of the Chief Justice, which he described as “a very busy office”.

“So having the office of the deputy now means some of the work of the Chief Justice will be delegated to his deputy. We will be now looking forward to a better dispensation of judicial services and justice,” Mvalo said. 

Born on August 9, 1965, Justice Lovemore Paul Chikopa, holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of Malawi which he obtained in 1987 and a Master of Business Administration degree obtained in 2021 from the University of Zambia.

He joined the Judiciary in 1998 as Principal Resident Magistrate and later rose to the rank of Chief Resident Magistrate. He was appointed Judge of the High Court in 2000 and Justice of Appeal in 2012. 

Before joining the Judiciary, he worked as State Advocate in the Ministry of Justice and later worked for Small Enterprise Development of Malawi (SEDOM) before joining the office of the Ombudsman as Principal Investigations Officer.

Justice Chikopa is the Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal and is also the Chairperson of the Performance Appraisal and Communication Committees within the Judiciary.

He becomes the first Deputy Chief Justice of the Malawi Judiciary since the Constitution was amended to provide for the office of the Deputy Chief Justice and hus appointment is in accordance with section 111 (2) of the Constitution of Malawi.