President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday chaired a meeting on corruption which was attended by government officials including Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba and Director General of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Martha Chizuma.
Other participants included Minister of Justice Hon. Titus Mvalo, the Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Masauko Chamkakala.
According to Chakwera, the meeting aimed at consolidating the efforts of his administration in fighting corruption.
“The cordial engagement among these critical institutions further cements our resolve to deal with corruption with a seamless approach that bears fruits.
“I have prompted the institutional heads to collaboratively undertake their noble duty guided only by the sovereign administrative and legal statutes above anything else,” the president wrote on his Facebook page.
The meeting comes weeks after Zamba, on 31 January, suspended Chizuma from exercising her duties as Anti-Corruption Bureau chief because she was facing charges related to remarks she made in a leaked audio.
It was reported that the decision to suspend Chizuma was made after a government official lied to Chakwera that the ACB had obtained a warrant of arrest against First Lady Monica Chakwera.
The interdiction of Chizuma led to a court battle as Malawi Law Society (MLS) obtained an injunction against Chizuma’s criminal charges and interdiction. The government through Attorney General Nyirenda unsuccessfully challenged the injunction at the High Court before going to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
However, DPP Chamkakala stepped in by dropping the charges against Chizuma and this forced the Attorney General to withdraw the interdiction case at the Supreme Court and Zamba to cancel the interdiction.
Zamba is the subject of corruption allegations made by former National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) chief executive officer Helen Buluma who told Parliament last year that Zamba attempted to influence awarding of fuel supply contracts at NOCMA.
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