CSOs demand resignation of Malawi’s anti-graft chief
Civil society organisations have come hard on graft busting body Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general, asking him to resign following the bureau’s decision to clear President Peter Mutharika over the K145 million dubious donation from an Indian businessman that went in a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) bank account.
Pioneer Investment deposited the K145 million into the DPP account immediately after getting a K2.7 billion payment from MPS for supplying food rations. President Mutharika Mutharika is the sole signatory of the bank account held at Standard Bank,
Vice chairman of the vocal Forum for Human Rights Defenders Gift Trapence said the ACB chief Reyneck Matemba has compromidedy his position.
“We have lost trust in him. He is politically manipulated,” said Trapence.
The clearance of Mutharika in the dubious K145 million donation came barely days after Mutharika said there was nothing unusual in the donation saying organizations including political parties get donations from various organisations or individuals.
Mutharika described the money as an honest donation.
He claimed that no single cheque was written in his name and that some individuals he did not mention orchestrated the issue to blow it out of proportion.
“I know of a few individuals who were sent by some parties to tarnish my name and the DPP. All over the world, people receive donations and it is normal for people to receive donations,” said Mutharika on public broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation Talk to the President programme.
Matemba, in another interview said it is expected to get mixed reactions on the matter, saying the CSOs have a right of an opinion.
In its initial report, the ACB accused Mutharika of receiving money from crime proceeds but said he could not be prosecuted because as Head of State he is immune from prosecution.
The DPP, through its spokesperson Nicholas Dausi, who is also Minister of Information and Communications Technology, said it will refund the money to Pioneer Investment, a move the Malawi Law Society described as an admission of wrongdoing.
The matter is currently in the High Court in Blantyre where DPP and Pioneer last week argued that the case should be dismissed on grounds that the plaintiff, Youth and Society, does not have sufficient interest to pursue the case.
Political and social commentator Mustafa Hussein said forcing Matemba to resign was not a lasting solution to the problem.
He said the best solution is to encourage the ACB to fight corruption.
Vice president Saulos Chilima has promised that once voted into power, he would put the office of the ACB under parliament and he would remove immunity of a sitting president from immunity.
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Stupid vindictive clowns without brains. Why should Matemba resign. Nawo a Pitala why give back the money? You people think you are intelligent when you are very stupid and are bent on tarnishing peoples image. Who really doesnt know that Chilima is a crook? Why are you so bitter to the extent of forgetting to fuck your wives. Have a life leave Mtambo and Trapence do their things they must make fools of themselves in order to get donor funding.
Am fed up with these so called CSO’s the so called Gift Trapence,they masquered as if they were elected by people to represent them,and who are they representing,they seem to have nothing to do.Angolimbana ndi zinthu zopanda ndi mchere komwe.Trapence ndi Mtambo tangoyambisani chipani chanu kuti mwina mulowe mmboma kusiyana ndi phokoso mwatikwana nalo panoli.
Kodi Matemba ndi wa mmuna. Timawu tija confused me ntachikazi. He is corrupt as well and has no integrity. Why did he not stand by the original report? The one who leaked it saw that the president was implicated. Had it been a small fish he would not have leaked. This whistle blower did the nation some good.
Matemba is not a problem, the problem is our MPs who approved his appointment in Parliament. They all saw it coming as they have always cried foul, but they went ahead to approve him. So why blame Matemba as if he offered the job himself?
True. After all Mr. Matemba never went down on his knees to beg for the appointment. As a human being he is doing what he perceives to be correct and within his gumption. If Gifiti Thilapensi had issues with him, the best thing was for him, Gifiti Thilapensi, to have an audience with him. In any case I would not be surprised if Mr. Matemba would take him head on in court for belittling him publicly on an issue which Parliament would have sought some clarification from him.
What do you expect in a nation that is run like a zoo. When you throw bones at lions every morning, they will systematically love you. Relationship of bone thrower and bone catcher
Brilliant Comment!
Posterity will judge you indeed brother Reyneck. This is the career apex you have reached and I hope you opted to remain a civil servant. Mwina nkuzapeza kokuponyani bomali likasintha. Otherwise you have been a disappointment. You have reached the lowest point of your semblance of being a professional. You have ripped off all the hope I had in you, I thought you would still be the youthful visionary professional once you were. Alas! You have drunken from the same cup of filth. Fare thee well once your contract comes to an end. The mistakes you have made should be… Read more »
pathfinder, leave them .the duty of dogs is to bark at any creature walking at their yard. they work like dogs and not people
He is useless. He thinks he is very clever
Countrymen, I tend to agree with the strong arguments from the CSOs. If the standard bank account has a single signatory; and that single signatory happens to be our Head of State then certainly it appears to me that HE has a case to answer. Especially that the K145 million that was deposited in that account has issues. Clearly Pioneer Investments appears to have a case to answer too regarding the manner in which their Rations Contract with the Malawi Police Service was handled. And that the K145 million came from that deal is also suspicious – it needs to… Read more »
koma matemba waonjeza. achokedi. if you say CSO should appeal, when it goes to court, the result will be the same coz a DPP ali ponse ponse. Reneck achoke