ACB says on track to tackle corruption
- Ndala: ACB on track to tackle corruption
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has fared very well in 2011 as it surpassed its set targets says the bureaus Senior Public Relations Officer, Egrita Ndala.
She says in corruption prevention the target was to establish 20 Institutional Integrity Committees and 22 were established.
Ndala says in public education 2011, 58 workshops were conducted against a set target of 48, 39 presentations were made against a set target of 38, 98 rallies were conducted between July, 2010 and June and investigation 496 cases were concluded against a set target of 480.
“In prosecutions 105 cases were taken to court against a set target of 30. Of these 47 were concluded in court with 18 convictions, 7 acquittals, 7 discharges, 6 withdraws and 5 referrals,” she said.
On Governance and Corruption Survey of 2010 which was conducted by Centre for Social Research, Ndala says 86% of Malawians disagree with the perception that corruption is a natural occurrence that they do not need to denounce.
“This percentage has increased from 76% in the 2006 Survey. This shows that more and more people are resisting, rejecting and reporting corruption as seen from the reports of alleged corrupt practices which are being made to the Bureau. More and more people are able to refuse to give bribes when asked to do so and they report perpetrators to the Bureau,” she says.
She says the declaration of zero tolerance has encouraged many people to desist from corrupt practices.
The Anti-graft bursting body spokesperson says President Bingu wa Mutharika has continually cautioned Cabinet Ministers and other public officers against corruption and this has created awareness in people to desist from corrupt practices.
The Corrupt Practices Act (CPA) was passed in 1995 and amended in 2004. This is the Act which established the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The Anti-Corruption Bureau started its operations in 1998.
The mandate of the Anti-Corruption Bureau is to prevent and control corrupt practices in Malawi.
Currently the Bureau is working with institutions such as the Privatisation Commission, Southern Region Water Board, Blantyre Water Board, Malawi Police Service, Malawi Housing Corporation, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Development Planning, National Aids Commission, Registrar General among others.
This is in done to implement the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. It is also continuing with public sensitization programmes to ensure that more people are aware of corruption so that they can take part in the fight against corruption.
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