…still investigating who leaked the dossier
Malawi’s graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), has insisted that it remains independent as provided for in the Corrupt Practices Act.
This comes days after rights activists questioned the ACB’s independence especially considering how it has handled the food rations scandal.
The activists under the Human Rights Defenders Coalition said that they are not comfortable with ACB’s conclusion that President Peter Mutharika did not personally benefit from the K2.7 billion fraud.
However, in its reaction, ACB has said it is still independent and it will still remain independent as provided for in the Corruption Practices Act.
ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala said the body sees no contradiction on the case.
The bureau further added that it will soon tell the public findings of its investigation which is underway on the leaked dossier.
“The Bureau is not aware of the said contradiction. The Anti-Corruption Bureau remains operationally independent as provided for in the Corrupt Practices Act.
“The Bureau will inform Malawians about the results of the investigation into the leakage when the investigation is completed,” Ndala told Malawi24.
The leaked document from ACB showed that businessman Zameer Karim stole K466 million from government before sending K145 million to a Democratic Progressive Party account whose sole signatory is President Peter Mutharika.
Mutharika later said he was innocent and that it was normal for a head of an organisation to be a sole signatory of its bank account.
The ACB then cleared Mutharika of wrongdoing in the K2.7 billion Police fraud claiming he did nothing wrong since the K145 million was not for personal use.
On Wednesday, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition through Vice Chairperson Gift Trapence said ACB Director Reyneck Matemba should resign for clearing Mutharika.
“We have lost trust in him, he is politically manipulated, he is siding with the government, because we have two different reports coming from the same institution,” said Trapence.
There are people who are in jail who did not benefit in fraudulent claims after being used .But the fact that they channelled fraud money to the beneficially they were found to be wrong doing and percecuted.
A PM is a DPP leader, sole signatory, who signed and withdrew fraud money from DPP account and DPP benefited from fraud money. DPP is a party. DPP has no hands, a human being, who is the President of Malawi and Leader of DPP signed for His party to benefit.
He did not know about the money but he still withdrew and a miracle happened. The account had miraculi money.
This is graft should be CB not anti CB.
Mulungu Suwola. Tiyeni nazo.