Law Society partners CSOs in new anti corruption scheme: An embarssament to Malawi govt

Malawi Law Society  (MLS) and three civil society organisations  (CSOs) have  joined hands to fight  embarrsssing levels of corruption in the country through what they have called  United Against Corruption (UAC) after noting that institutional frameworks such as parliamentary oversight committees, weaker procurement anf accounting schemes and a culture of impunity have created a fertile environment for graft.

The new scheme is viewed as an embarssament to the  State in terms of fighting corruption as it reflects a loss of confidence in governance institutions entrusted to do so.

MLS has joined Centre for Human Rights and Rehailitation (CHRR), Church and Society Programme (CSP) of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia and Youth and Society (YAS).

Law Society president Alfred Majamanda said UAC is a project that will  “handle together, tackling seruous  and organised corruption in Malawi.”

Majamanda said they will provide details of how they will operate but assured they will  deal with  corurpiton which is a serious threat to national development.

YAS director Charles Kajoloweka said they are putting their efforts together to help  to clean up the “corruption stinking” society as thebpublic resources  continue being plundered.

The new anti-corruption consortium comes at a time when CSOs have renewed calls for the graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) executive director Yeneck Matemba  to resign, describing him as a danger to the fight against corruption.

The renewed calls come after revelations that President Peter Mutharika received a dubious K85 million five car donation from unscrupulous Indian businessman Zameer Karim.

Karim had earlier made another dubious donation of K145 million to Mutharika but the ACB cleared the president of any wrong doing.

But Matemba said leading the bureau is ‘hell’ and told off critics to follow procedures if they want him out of office.

Matemba—who said in the local press that  he is ready to leave what he hinted to be a thankless job—also said he was prepared to investigate the five-car donation by Karim, stressed that he will not be pushed around.

Heclaimed he was not clinging to the position, saying: “It is hell to be director general of ACB.”

Presidential spokesperson Mgeme Kalirani said the president did not personally benefit from the donation.