Africa-Press – Malawi. News that the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director Martha Chizuma, has been sued by three individuals over a leaked private conversation is both disturbing and retrogressive.
Disturbing because it looks like a manganya episode in which the hunter becomes the hunted. It is also retrogressive in the sense that the fight against corruption is moving ten steps backwards.
Let me dissect the hostile environment in which Martha Chizuma is operating. First, the Parliament was divided whether to confirm Martha Chizuma as the Director of ACB.
Some thieves clad in the attire of Members of Parliament were not sure if Martha Chizuma would not pounce on them. Others who advocated for her confirmation thought that Martha Chizuma would be another pawn who could be easily tossed around. These thieves are still in existence.
Second is the political interference in the operations of ACB by the current regime. The fact that President Chakwera still has the prerogative to appoint the ACB Director gives him an upper hand to manoeuvre the Bureau.
Martha Chizuma confessed that she is required to inform the president whenever she wants to apprehend a cabinet minister on suspicions of fraud and corruption. In fact, she reports to the State President.
The executive arm of government has also the choice either to allocate sufficient funds to the Bureau or to suffocate it financially. This bureaucratic environment puts Ms. Martha Chizuma in a tight corner.
Third are the warning and threats from President Chakwera to Ms. Martha Chizuma. The president intimidated the ACB director with a warning that she would be fired if a similar leakage of a private conversation erupts again. No punitive measures were cast on the one who breached privacy etiquettes.
Fourth, as if this is not enough, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Attorney General (AG) want to prove to Malawians that they are the bosses to Martha Chizuma.
It is an open secret that Thabo Nyirenda, the AG, said that he is the boss of ACB Director. Recently, Dr. Steven Kayuni, the DPP, bragged to have declined Ms. Martha Chizuma’s request to proceed with Sattar’s prosecution.
Fifth, Martha’s security and privacy is grossly compromised. If either Chakwera’s intelligence or other persons of ill intentions can eavesdrop Martha’s private conversation, then her life is in danger as well.
It is mind boggling to see people concentrating on what Martha said in the leaked private conversation rather than bringing the one who breached Martha’s privacy to book.
Lastly, we see a corruption suspect suing the ACB Director. We are now wondering if the leaked private conversation was not masterminded by these suspects.
We therefore ask the parliamentary legal affairs committee to: i) Ensure that ACB is independent of any political interference by enacting laws that empower it as such.
ii) Ensure that those who breached Martha’s privacy should face the law iii) Ensure that allegations of corruption in the Judiciary system as revealed in the leaked private conversation are addressed.
iv) Ensure the safety and security of ACB Director is guaranteed. v) Facilitate the enactment of laws that will give immunity to the ACB director from being sued during the course of discharging her duties.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor.
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