The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has taken to task the Malawi Reserve Bank Governor Dr. Wilson Banda for his silence on the leakage of a forensic audit report.
It is reported that some pieces of the forensic report, which has been done at the central bank and was to be released in February next year, have already hit the public as they are making rounds on the social media.
However, the Governor is yet to comment on the leakage a development which has irked CDEDI which said officials at the central bank are deliberately leaking results of the forensic audit.
CDEDI executive director, Sylvester Namiwa, through a letter addressed to Banda, suspects that this could be a calculated move targeting specific individuals from one region and tribe.
Namiwa said it is worrisome that the governor and the communications team at RBM have chosen to pretend that nothing has slipped through its fingers by just keeping quiet on the leakage when they were supposed to address the nation.
“This development leaves us with an impression that those people leaking the information are doing so under your watch, and to be raw, we believe this is a calculated move targeting specific individuals from one region and tribe, a very clear case of selective application of justice, which CDEDI is vehemently advocating against.
“As you are reading this letter, information regarding your salary and that of your predecessor, Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, is in the public domain, a development that is raising serious questions as to whether or not the bank must cough over MK180 million on external audit only to establish salaries of RBM Governor and a few other employees,” reads part of CDEDI statement.
Namiwa added that CDEDI will be so grateful if Banda will explain how people that are outside RBM could access privileged information, including knowing the agenda and venues for the bank’s meetings and employment contracts.
“CDEDI is, therefore, demanding your office to issue a statement to give the general public accurate information or risk being labelled as an accomplice in all this. CDEDI is looking forward to hearing from you, sir, in the next seven days on the issues that have been raised in this letter,” added Namiwa in the letter.
CDEDI has also written the Auditor Manager for Deloitte, expressing worry over the leakage of the bits and pieces of the audit before the final report has been released.
Namiwa said they are equally saddened to note that, as a reputable firm, they have not even raised a query when the audit reference focal point was changed from the suspended Chief Internal Auditor to the RBM Governor.
He argued that this alludes to interference on the part of the audit and puts the whole process into question as the Governor is a political appointee.
