Following a travel ban on four Malawians from visiting the United States of America on corruption allegations, the Malawi government says it will continue engaging the US government to ensure the independence of Malawi’s Judiciary and ensure that any accused persons in Malawi are accorded a fair trial.
This is according to a Thursday press statement which was signed by Malawi’s Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Moses Kumkuyu, who is also the Chief Government Spokesperson, in which the Malawi Government was responding to the travel ban.
While saying it respects the decision, the Government says it maintains its resolve to continue respecting the constitutional right of every Malawian accused of a crime to defend themselves before the courts and says it will continue engaging the US government on the same.
The statement further says the government fully subscribes to the Constitutional rights of all accused persons in Malawi and to accord them due process, a fair trial, and the presumption of innocence until found guilty by the Courts of Law.
“The Government respects the right of the US Government, as a custodian of a sovereign state, to bar any persons from other countries from entering its borders. The Government of Malawi wishes to reiterate its policy and position to respect the independence of the courts as the sole determinant of guilt or Innocence of any person answering various charges in Malawi courts.
“The Government of Malawi will continue engaging the US Government directly in the spirit of bilateral and mutual respect to ensure continued respect of the independence of Malawi’s Judiciary in determining the culpability of any accused persons without undue external influence,” reads part of the statement.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Government has reiterated its assurance to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Malawi Judiciary of its commitment to uphold the rule of law by respecting their independence.
On Wednesday this week, the US Government through the Department of State, announced that Malawi’s former Solicitor General and Principal Secretary of Justice Reyneck Matemba, former Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Agency Director John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Service Attorney Mwabi Kaluba, and former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja, are ineligible for entry into the United States.
The US Government said this is due to their involvement in significant corruption, claiming; “Matemba, Suzi-Banda, Kaluba, and Kainja abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other articles of value from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service.”
The US Government has also extended the ban to Matemba’s spouse, Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell; Suzi-Banda’s spouse, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda, Kaluba’s spouse, Bernadette Mwangosi; and Kainja’s spouse, Jacqueline de Silva Kainja.
