Malawi anti-graft body to lodge appeal on Willie Kachaka’s lenient sentence on corruption
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it will appeal the ruling made against the then Chief Statistician for the Population and Housing Census, Willie Kachaka in a 2008 Population and Housing Census (PHC) corruption case.
In a statement, ACB Senior Pubic Relation Officer, Egrita Mdala said her organization received information alleging massive corruption in the hiring of vehicles for the 2008 PHC.
She said ACB instituted investigations into the matter where it established that Kachaka who was then working as Chief Statistician for the Population and Housing Census ( now with Ministry of Health headquarters) had committed the offence in relation to the hiring of vehicles during the PHC exercise.
“On 8th October, 2012, the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested Willie Kachaka and was taken to Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with one count of misuse of public office contrary to Section 25B (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act”.
“Lilongwe Magistrates Court on 8th February, 2013, found Kachaka guilty on both counts and convicted him. He was sentenced to five months imprisonment with hard labour but suspended to twelve months. The Anti-Corruption Bureau intends to appeal against the sentence,” said Ndala.
In a related development, a traffic police officer and another National Statistics Officer have been found guilty of fraudulent and corrupt practices.
In October, 2009 the ACB received a complaint alleging that Road Traffic Officers at Road Traffic Offices in Lilongwe fraudulently and corrupt effected change of ownership of a Toyota land Cruiser registration number MH 9999.
Following investigations established that Rodgers Mollen, Chief Motor Examiner, Masida Kumwenda, Data Capturing Clerk and Enock Mtimuni, Assistant Motor Examiner fraudulently and corruptly changed ownership of the said motor vehicle.
According to Mdala, both were charged with misuse of public office contrary to Section 25B(1) of the Corrupt Practices Act, uttering a false document contrary to Section 360 of the Penal Code and willful neglect of duty contrary to Section 121 of the Penal Code.
She then said on 30th January, 2013, they were acquitted on the first two counts and convicted on the third count. They were each sentenced to seven months imprisonment with hard labour but suspended to twelve months.
