Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Reyneck Matemba has kept a tight lid on the names of suspects who attempted to bribe Constitutional Court judges presiding over the presidential election case.
On Tuesday Matemba held a press briefing in Lilongwe where he refused to give out the names of the suspects but he described one of the suspects as senior public servant and the other as person from the private sector.
Matemba also read a letter from the Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda officially informing the ACB about the attempt to bribe the five-judge panel of the Constitutional Court.
“By not mentioning the names and the amount of money regarding this case, it does not mean that we have failed. We aware about the importance of this case and we are doing our investigations,” he said.
Matemba added that the bureau recorded statements from the judges last month and now its officers are pursuing the case but did not give a timeframe for the conclusion of investigations.
In response to those calling for the immediate arrest of the suspects, Matemba argued that the appropriate action the ACB can take at the moment is to investigate.
“We have limits. Legal limits as a law enforcement agency. We just don’t go out there and start mentioning people’s names. It will backfire one day. When time comes for us to arrest, you will know the names,” said Matemba.
He added that in total the bureau has received five complaints related to the presidential elections including one from a prominent Civil Society Organizations, two from anonymous individuals and the last one from a connected Malawian.
