CSOs give Chakwera 7 days to fire DPP Kayuni

 Some civil society organisations (CSOs) and concerned citizens have demanded the sacking of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Steve Kayuni.

The CSOs want the DPP fired for not granting consent to the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) to prosecute Ashok Kumar Sreedharan. Kayuni is on record that he did not give the consent because the ACB provided insufficient documentation to allow him make a sound decision on whether to prosecute or not.

The CSOs, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) led by Sylvester Namiwa, Social Revolution Movement, Mzuzu Youth Caucus and concerned citizens Zainab Hassan and Mundango Nyirenda in a statement issued yesterday allege that Kayuni is a threat to the fight against corruption.

Sreedharan, popularly known as Nair was in January this year arrested by the ACB, which alongside the United Kingdom’s National Crimes Agency, is investigating alleged corruption by

businessperson Zuneth Sattar.

To prosecute someone, the ACB is required by law to get consent from the DPP. However, Kayuni did not give consent and asked ACB to furnish him with more information on the matter.

The CSOs say they have written President Lazarus Chakwera to fire Kayuni within seven days.

Reads part of the statement: “Corruption is posing a threat to the very spirit and soul of our country. Therefore, any attempts to frustrate, halt or fight the ACB director general Martha Chizuma will be treated as waging war against all well-meaning Malawians who are eager to rid this country of this vice.”

They have also urged Kayuni to voluntarily step down, saying he cannot continue serving the country as DPP since Malawians have lost trust in him.

The CSOs have also called for action on the person that recorded and leaked a phone conversation between him and Chizuma that discussed corruption-related cases the ACB was pursuing.

“Failure by the government to act on the issues raised will see the CSOs and the concerned citizens holding protests,” said Namiwa at a press conference held in Lilongwe yesterday to read out the statement.

Commenting on the matter, presidential press secretary Anthony Kasunda said President Lazarus Chakwera received the letter from the CSOs.

He said: “It is, therefore, his view that the relevant offices within the Ministry of Justice have sufficient guidance of the law on how to proceed in a collaborated fashion and where the law is clear on the roles of such institutions like the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Director of Public Prosecution.

“It is improper for a President to interfere and improper for a President to bow down to ultimatums.”

Kayuni could not be reached on his phone to comment on the CSOs’ demands.

Recently, the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament recommended that the Corrupt Practices Act (CPA) should be amended so that the ACB should not be seeking consent from the DPP.

Meanwhile, the committee is expected to move a motion to have a Bill tabled in Parliament to amend the Act