ACB re-imposes restrictions to prevent theft of public property Malawi changes govt
Malawians intending to sell motor vehicles, houses and land will now have to seek clearance from the graft-busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), before disposing off their property.
The Bureau, in a statement made available to Nyasa Times on Friday and signed by the ACB Director General Reyneck Matemba, states that effective Friday, 26 June, 2020, all applications for change of ownership of the abovementioned property will be submitted to its office for vetting and clearance before any change of ownership.
On February 5, 2018, ACB told the public that it had discontinued the vetting and clearance process. However, it emphasized that it could reintroduce the process where and when the need arises.
Ironically, the reintroduction of the restriction is coming at a time heads are expected to roll in the public service following the imminent change of administration at the Capital Hill.
It is expected that dozens of public officers, including Cabinet ministers and other senior government officials who are appointed by the President, will be shown exit doors when the Tonse Alliance leader Lazarus Chakwera takes on the reins of power at the Capital Hill.
Probably, ACB might have sniffed attempts by public to take advantage of the change of leadership to steal from the public coffers.
“The ACB therefore wishes to inform members of the public that a formal communication on the reintroduction of the vetting and clearance process for applications for change of ownership of motor vehicles, houses and land, has been made to all the respective and relevant public institutions that deal with or process these types of applications,” says Matemba in the statement.
Matemba assures that ACB will do everything within its power to conduct the vetting and clearance process within 72 hours (three days) after receipt of a submission, to ensure that service delivery to members of the public is not interrupted.
He appealed to the heads or controlling officers of all the public institutions that deal with or process these types of applications to equally ensure that their officers are not creating unnecessary bottlenecks or hurdles to frustrate the vetting and clearance process, or take advantage of the process to demand money or other favours from applicants, or indeed indulge in any form of corrupt practices, as that will not be tolerated by the ACB.
ACB equally appeals to members of the public to desist from offering money or other favours to the concerned public officers in order to bypass or frustrate the vetting and clearance process by the bureau.
With the more likely high number of corruption cases in the next few months, the ACB requires additional resources (human and funding) to speed up prosecution. I think the additional investment to ACB is worth it
The Tonse Alliance government must make changes to how ACB operates. ACB must not be under the armpits of the president or executive. The ACB director must not be appointed by the executive.
Anyway, I would suggest to ACB, that each outgoing higher government representative, starting from the President, the whole Cabinet, all presidential advisers, ministerial officers, board members of public entities linked to the former ruling party etc, should go through a clearance process by your bureau Mr Matemba!
psa koka
Handling of government documents, all transactions, shredding, archiving, transfer of funds of any type by an entity in Malawi or by Malawian embassies, re-allocation of funds or employment positions or pay scales, awarding of contracts and payments for the same, have to be frozen in time or administered under the strict supervision of auditors and the incoming government.
where was he all the time? I hate pretenders !!! the law has been there all the time.
Brilliant the first thing the new government should do is hold those asians who have siphoned lots of money and bought properties in Uk and gave them on rent.
Stealing from the poor Malawians whose wages are peanuts. Now President Chakwera will make it difficult for them I hope
He made a U-Turn which was good. What are you doing with (names withheld) who are still withdrawing government money from the banks despite the intended change of Government? Large sums of money for that matter.
Control measures which were on the back burner now being brought to the fore!! Koma Malawi wa lero wafikadi eti!!! This is the seriousness we need in these public offices and not letting people get away with thuggery activities.
More fire! m’bebe wa tonse wayamba kale!
NDIKANAKHALA KUTI NDINE PRESIDENT AKULUWA NDIKANAWAPANGA MANTAIN KU ACB .
By using the way called,,send a thief to catch a thief,,, sounds good but with corruption,it is very difficult to catch a thief by a thief for they know each other I guess. But let’s wait and see what Chakwera and Chilima are going to deal with this issue of corruption.