Human rights activists under Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has spoken out against the amnesty for thieves, saying the amnesty will shield people involved in criminal activities.
Chairperson for the grouping Gift Trapence told Journalists on Wednesday that HRDC believes that abuse of state resources and corruption is the root cause of the state affairs in Malawi and that it is time for serious action to rid the country of the cancer so that the majority of Malawians can start enjoying the benefits of their labour.
He added that it is time to step up efforts to safeguard public resources because the country cannot afford to bleed money.
“Things have to change and they have to change now. To attain our call for conclusion of corruption of corruption cases both old and new, we appeal to the state investigating and prosecuting agencies such as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the Attorney General and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to work together,” said Trapence.
He observed that the agencies are seen in public as working to outshine each other which is not conducive to fighting the vice since corruption is perpetrated by sophisticated and influential people in society.
He also called on the government to ensure that corruption cases are prosecuted to their logical conclusion.
According to Trapence, failure to prosecute cases has resulted in custodians of public resources thinking they can abuse them willingly and get away with it and over the years the state has accumulated corruption cases that have not been concluded date.
He also called upon president and government to ensure that those holding public offices especially at the top level are relieved of their positions immediately if they are connected to abuse of Public resources and corruption allegations so that they can face the law without any due influence.
