Justice Kamanga, Ombudzman Chizuma; lawyer Kazembe in ACB top job final list
Retired Justice of Appeal Anthony Kamanga, Ombudsman Martha Chizuma and private practice lawyer Wellington Kazembe have been shortlisted from a list of candidates attended interview last weekend for the position of director general of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The names have been submitted to Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo and the list will be forwarded to the President to choose one candidate who will be subjected to confirmation by the Public Appointments Committee of parliament.
The final list of three were picked out of 37 applicants including ACB’s top investigator Dan Mponda, Geoff Chikuta, Linda Mzumara, Felix Tandwe, Chris Khunga and Fenwick Kamanga.
They faced a selection panel which included Paramount Chief Kyungu, Media Council of Malawi chairperson Wisdom Chimgwede, Kossam Munthalu representing the civil society, Christopher Guta from the private sector, former ACB boss Reyneck Matemba and Dumisani Banda from the department io human resources management and development.
ACB top job fell vacant in January when Matemba’s contract expired . Matemba, who was appointed by immediate-past president Peter Mutharika as ACB director general in November 2017,is now serving as Solicitor General.
Matemba’s appointment as ACB director general by Mutharika followed the expiry of the contractor of his predecessor, Lucas Kondowe. Matemba served as Kondowe’s deputy.
Prior to his appointment as head of the graft-busting body, Matemba worked at Ministry of Justice as assistant chief legislative counsel, administrator general and in the Legal Aid Department, now called Legal Aid Bureau.
If appointed and confirmed, the new director general will lead an ACB investigating the squandering of Covid-19 response funds known as Covidgate which saw billions of kwachas abused.
Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) chairperson Joyce Chitsulo said they expect to be given a candidate who will not be a control freak by the regime when it comes to prosecute suspected government officials.
The final three have impeaccable track record with Kamanga having served as Malawi Law Commissioner, Solicitor General, Attorney Gener, High Court judge and Justice of Appeal.
Chizuma has previously served as a magistrate, assistant registrar of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal and deputy chairperson of the Industrial Relations Court before becoming the Ombudsman.
While Kazembe has served as corporate secretary and director of administration for the Malawi Housing Corporation between 2008 and 2016.
Under Matemba’s tenure, among some high-profile cases, the ACB secured convictions of former minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Uladi Mussa in a passport fraud case and Democratic Progressive Party regional governor (North) Christopher Mzomera Ngwira in a case of misusing public office and defended a K70 billion compensation claim from DPP secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey and three others.
The bureau also secured convictions in several Cashgate cases.
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