First Vice-President Jane Ansah has warned against any actions bent at undermining the independence of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), saying such practices weaken the country’s fight against corruption.
She issued the warning yesterday during the commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe where she represented President Peter Mutharika who is in South Africa on a private visit.
“The culture of undermining the ACB and its independence must come to an end,” said Ansah, a retired Justice of Appeal of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.
Mhango looks on | Malawi News Agency
She stressed that an empowered and independent ACB is critical to protecting public resources and upholding human dignity.
Ansah observed that the ACB has faced serious challenges over the past five years, including attempts to undermine its leadership, inadequate funding and limited capacity to adopt innovative approaches in combating corruption.
“These challenges have negatively affected the bureau’s operations,” she said.
But Ansah commended the ACB for remaining resilient and committed to its mandate of fighting corruption and safeguarding its institutional independence despite facing the setbacks.
She also called on the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to work closely with the ACB to ensure that it is fully empowered to carry out its mandate effectively.
In his remarks, ACB acting director-general Gabriel Chembezi said the bureau has put in place several interventions to strengthen the fight against corruption.
“As a bureau, we have lined up a number of interventions to fight corruption. We want to ensure timely prosecution of cases and are working with the Ministry of Education to include corruption issues in the primary school curriculum,” he said.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango said government is reforming some laws, including the Financial Crimes Act and the Corrupt Practices Act of 2022, to strengthen the legal framework against corruption.
The International Anti-Corruption Day was commemorated under the theme ‘Promoting human dignity in the fight against corruption’ alongside a global campaign encouraging youth participation in building integrity and accountability.
