Chief Justice says Judiciary won’t interfere in ACB work
Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda says the Judiciary will not interfere in the work of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in pursuit of suspected cases of corruption against some judicial officers in the country.
His sentiments come against a background that some judges allegedly received bribes from Malawi-born United Kingdom-based businessperson Zuneth Sattar.
In an interview at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday on the sidelines of the swearing-in of four new High Court of Malawi judges, Mzikamanda, who expressed concern over what he called eroded public trust on the Judiciary, said while some judicial officers may be implicated, his office will allow the ACB to investigate the issue in full and once wrongdoing is established, he will be able to act.
He said: “I am sure those matters are under investigations by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. I think we should leave the ACB to investigate those in full and once they are established, then we can deal with those ourselves.”
Mzikamanda also conceded that corruption in the Judiciary is not just a matter of public perception, but it is real as some of its officers have previously been convicted of corruption.
He said: “We probably cannot say that there is no corruption. The perception we take it as it is and we want to take it positively and make sure that we deal with it.
“We are indeed concern with the perception about corruption. We are concerned about reduced confidence in the Judiciary and so we are working on that to make sure that we eliminate these elements.”
In June this year, the ACB submitted a report to President Lazarus Chakwera with copies to the Chief Justice and Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara.
Based on the report, the President withheld delegated duties of Vice-President Saulos Chilima, dismissed the Inspector General of Police George Kainja and suspended Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga and Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) board chairperson John Suzi-Banda.
Both the Chief Justice and Speaker of the National Assembly have not yet acted on the report.
In a telephone interview yesterday, National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Moses Mkandawire said he expects the Chief Justice to take administrative action against judicial officers named in the report and, the same time, the ACB should move with speed to take matters to court.
Since June, the bureau immediately arrested and charged Kainja almost immediately, but took over five months to arrest and charge the Vice-President while Kapondamgaga is yet to be summoned, but remains on suspension for almost six months now.
The ACB in collaboration with Britain’s National Crimes Agency are investigating Sattar who is alleged to have bribed several politically-exposed persons in Malawi to gain favours in public contracts. In the report to the President, 84 names were listed as suspects of corruption who include politicians, public servants, judges, journalists and others from the private sector.
