Assets declaration director in September

The country expects to have a Director of Public Officers Declarations, who will be responsible for receiving and verifying declarations of assets from public officers, including the President and Members of Parliament by September 1 2014.

This means some of the public officers required to declare their assets according to law, who are 48 in total , will comply with just within the three months upon being appointed or elected.

The National Assembly started advertising this week for the posts of director and deputy in fulfillment of Section 7 of Public Officers (Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests) Act which states that public officers must submit details of their assets within three months of being appointed or elected.

Public Appointments and Declaration of Assets Committee chairperson Lingson Belekanyama said shortlisting of candidates will be done within a week after closing date of applications which is Friday, August 1.

Interviews are expected to take another week before the successful candidate is announced.

“We are working under pressure from Malawians and we have been accused of delaying the appointment of the director but we can realistically say the director will only start working by September,” he said.

Belekanyama said the Parliament secretariat had assured the committee of the availability of funding to facilitate the process.

He said in the absence of the office of the Director of Public Officers Declaration, no public officer can be deemed to have flouted the law.

The Declaration of Assets legislation was enacted in November last year and is yet to be tested.