The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has halted recruitment of auditors at the National Audit Office (NAO) amid allegations of leaked aptitude-test questions, candidates paying for access to them and irregularities in shortlisting.
ACB spokesperson Jacqueline Ngongonda confirmed that the recruitment exercise is under investigation but did not comment on the specific allegations.
“The NAO recruitment process is our subject of investigations and ACB reasonably believes proceeding with the recruitment at the moment would prejudice the ongoing investigations,” she said.
NAO has complied by suspending the exercise and preserving relevant records—including the recruitment advertisement, selection criteria, shortlisting documents and records relating to the preparation, custody, administration and marking of the aptitude test—for investigators.
But the NAO public relations officer Rabson Kagwamminga who confirmed the restriction said the office had not been formally informed of the full scope of the investigation and would therefore not speculate on allegations whose details had not been communicated.
He said NAO was cooperating with investigators and preserving the relevant recruitment records.
According to allegations by a whistle-blower being examined by the ACB, aptitude-test questions were allegedly shared with relatives of Human Resources staff in the verification unit, while some candidates allegedly paid to obtain the questions.
The investigation is also reportedly examining claims that a Lilongwe-based marking team received night allowances for work allegedly conducted locally.
A separate set of allegations concerns the application of recruitment requirements, including a reported four-year substantive-service requirement.
According to those allegations, the requirement was allegedly overlooked in some shortlisting decisions. One cited case involves an auditor who was reportedly shortlisted for Assistant Auditor General despite allegedly not having served four years as Chief Auditor.
Kagwamminga also said NAO had not been formally informed that the alleged leakage of aptitude-test questions or changes to shortlisting criteria formed part of the investigation.
Fire, break-in add twist
The recruitment controversy comes as NAO deals with two separate incidents involving its premises—a fire and a break-in.
NAO confirmed that a fire affected three offices and was reported to the relevant authorities, including the Chief Secretary. Escom was involved in examining its possible cause.
Kagwamminga said the information available to NAO indicated no foul play and attributed the incident to an electrical fault.
“The information presently available to the office did not disclose evidence of foul-play and attributed the incident to an electrical fault,” he said.
The office also confirmed a break-in at its Accounts Office, which was reported to the Malawi Police Service and remains under investigation.
Three computer monitors were reported missing.
NAO stressed that it has no evidence linking either incident to the disputed recruitment exercise.
“The fire and break-in were separate incidents and were reported to the relevant authorities for examination within their respective mandates,” Kagwamminga said.
“The office will not speculate on a possible connection in the absence of evidence.”
The ACB investigation will determine whether the recruitment exercise involved corruption or other irregularities and whether the allegations are substantiated.
