The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has called on Government to ensure that people who stole Covid-19 funds are prosecuted and the resources are recovered.
Chairperson of the grouping Gift Trapence said this in a statement on Tuesday after a leaked audit report revealed massive plunder of funds meant for the fight against Covid-19.
Trapence noted that there can be no other remedy to quell the anger of Malawians against this irresponsibility and thoughtlessness by those entrusted with the authority of managing resources on behalf of the public than to ensure that those that unduly benefitted are brought to book and the resources recovered.
“What is disheartening is that these funds were earmarked for use in saving the lives of Malawians during a time of crisis. But some heartless people within the system choose to divert these resources for their own personal use at the expense of the lives that we needlessly lost to the pandemic,” Trapence said.
Trapence therefore urged the government to invoke relevant statutes to recover the money from the culprits.
He then commended President Lazarus Chakwera for calling for the release of the audit report on the abuse of the funds without further delay.
He said HRDC will lead Malawians in taking to task those in authority who will ignore or go against the Presidential Directive to release the K6.2 billion Covid-19 audit report.
Trapence added that is also high time that Chakwera exerted his authority by disciplining officers who ignore his directives.
“Further, we are imploring the President to ensure that all culprits however big or small should face the long arm of the law and that no one should be shielded, however influential or inconsequential,” he said.
