The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Fiscal Police are investigating suspected financial malpractice at the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) after the Attorney General identified possible criminal wrong-doing in a leaked audit.
The development comes as Weekend Nation has seen a letter, referenced ACB/DIR/8/26, in which the ACB asks Secretary to the Treasury Cliff Chiunda to provide the National Audit Office (NAO) inspection report on the management of public funds during the 2025 General Elections.
The letter, copied to the Chief Secretary to the Government, states that the bureau intends to assess whether the audit findings reveal evidence of corruption or abuse of office requiring criminal investigation.
“The purpose of this request is to enable the Anti-Corruption Bureau to review the findings and determine whether there are elements of corruption and abuse of office that warrant further investigation, in line with the ACB’s mandate under the Corrupt Practices Act,” reads part of the letter signed by acting director general Gabriel Chembezi.
The bureau also indicated its willingness to sign any confidentiality undertakings required by the Ministry of Finance before accessing the report.
When contacted yesterday, Chiunda said the matter had followed the required legal process.
“Such reports are referred to the office of the Attorney General,” he said.
In a telephone interview, Attorney General Mbeta confirmed that Treasury referred the report to his office about two weeks ago and that his review uncovered what he described as possible criminal conduct.
“I can confirm that the ST referred the matter to me some two weeks ago and I studied the report and saw that indeed there are some elements of wrongdoing,” said Mbeta.
He said he had since referred the report to both the Fiscal Police and the ACB.
“I have sent the report to Fiscal Police and ACB with an instruction to do their own investigations as per their mandates, and if they find any individual or people who committed any crime, they should be arrested and prosecuted regardless of rank,” Mbeta said.
The Auditor General had not responded to questions on the status of the report by the time the newspaper went to press.
The investigations follow publication by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) of details from what it described as a leaked draft administrative audit covering MEC’s financial management between April 2022 and May 2026.
According to PIJ, the draft audit questioned, among other issues, a K1.8 billion vehicle supply contract awarded to a company with limited registered assets, fuel records showing individual vehicles drawing hundreds of litres within minutes and K1.2 billion in legal fees allegedly paid without supporting documentation.
MEC has rejected suggestions that the leaked report proves wrong-doing.
In a public statement, MEC director of media and public relations Sangwani Mwafulirwa described the NAO exercise as a routine administrative audit and said the commission had not yet received the preliminary report to enable management to respond to the findings.
He argued that publication of the leaked document before MEC’s response undermined the integrity of the audit process.
Governance exper ts have never thel ess wel comed the intervention by the AG and the ACB, saying it represents an important step towards accountability.
Governance analyst Benedicto Kondowe said audit reports should serve as the basis for criminal investigations where they reveal possible abuse of public resources.
“The ACB’s request is significant because it demonstrates the importance of translating audit findings into concrete accountability action,” Kondowe said. “An audit report is not merely an administrative document. Where it reveals possible misuse of public resources, abuse of office, fraud or other irregularities, it may provide critical evidence for further investigation.”
While describing the AG’s involvement as procedurally appropriate, Kondowe cautioned against allowing legal processes to delay investigations into suspected financial misconduct.
Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira also said the case would test the country’s commitment to public accountability.
“Audit reports are meant to trigger investigations and corrective action, not be trapped in bureaucratic delays,” Kambwandira said. “Any unnecessary delay risks creating the perception that powerful individuals are being shielded from scrutiny, undermining public confidence in our accountability institutions.”
He further urged the ACB to conduct its investigations independently.
“It is also our hope that the intervention is driven solely by its constitutional mandate and not influenced by political interests, because any perception of selective justice or political interference would further erode public confidence in the fight against corruption,” Kambwandira said.
