US says cashgate has claimed lives in Malawi
United States Ambassador Jeanine Jackson has said the corruption scandal aptly called ‘Cash-gate’ has not only affected the social-economic status of Malawi but also claimed lives of its citizens.
“When drugs are pilfered, it is not only drugs that are lost, but lives, too. When funds are stolen from the Treasury, the provision of life-saving services is threatened,” Jackson is quoted by the press speaking on Thursday at a reception in honour of Global Health Corps (GHC) chief executive officer Barbara Bush who visited Malawi to meet with experts working in various fields of health.
She called on Malawians to hold government accountable on investigations and prosecution of cashgate suspects.
“Malawians should not accept misuse of taxpayer and donor resources in any case, and certainly not when such corruption results in the deaths of fellow citizens,” she said.
Government coffers have been systematically looted by civil servants and ruling People’s Party politicians.
An official of Malawi’s Catholic Church watchdog, CCJP recently called President Joyce Banda the “greatest thief in the world.”
In testimony before the Malawian Parliament, Peter Chinoko of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) accused President Banda of being “part and parcel” of the Cash-gate scandal.
The genesis of the scandal, according to Chinoko, was an attempt by Banda and her supporters to raise funds for the upcoming elections that will take place in May.
PP denies the charges of instigating cashgate scandal.
