By Trouble Ziba:
Statehouse says misunderstandings that arose from the arrest of Anti-Corruption Bureau Director, Martha Chizuma, amongst different stakeholders could stifle the fight against corruption in the country if left unresolved.
Statehouse Director of Communications, Sean Kampondeni, said on Wednesday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe when he briefed the media on major highlights of President Lazarus Chakwera’s engagements in the past two months.
According to Kampondeni, among the President’s major engagements in the past two months was his meeting with ACB Director Chizuma, Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Judiciary among other institutions, to iron out misunderstandings that arose following the former’s arrest.
“After ACB Director’s unjust arrest. Chakwera also instituted a commission of inquiry because he was disturbed by the development.
“After receiving report from the commission of inquiry, the president addressed the issues that came out from the inquiry,” Kampondeni told journalists.
According to the Statehouse Communications Director, among other decisions the Head of State made was to refer all those individuals involved in the arrest of Chizuma to Malawi Police Service (MPS).
Following the arrest of Chizuma early December, 2022, several disagreements and misunderstandings mushroomed amongst relevant stakeholders, including ACB, DPP, the Judiciary and other government institutions.
It was for this reason, according to Kampondeni, that the State President felt so concerned that he decided to meet the said institutions to resolve issues that he felt could jeopardise efforts to root out corruption in the country.
Besides appointing a new DPP Director in the name of Masauko Chamkakala who has already started work, other engagements the President has made the past two months include launching the Cholera Campaign in Area 25, Lilongwe and reshuffling the cabinet which saw new faces making into it.
On Tuesday, Chakwera also appeared before Parliament to answer some questions from legislators.
Meanwhile, Chakwera is scheduled to leave the country this week for Qatar for a 46-member Least Developed Countries (LDCs)’ forum for which he is chairperson.
While there, he is expected to preside over ‘Doha Programme of Action’, an agreement that will work to enable LDCs graduate to middle-income countries.
