Mutharika appoints Kalilani as Financial Intelligence Unit boss: Resistance over secondment
There is panic within a network of money launderers and corrupt government officials in Malawi stretching from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Reserve of Malawi following the appointment of Kenam Kalilani – a digital money and ICT expert – as the Deputy Director of the financial crimes busting agency FIU, Nyasa Times can reveal.
President Peter Mutharika appointed Kalilani two months ago to deputize Atuweni Phiri a lawyer by profession whose contract is due to expire within a year.
According to a letter from Government Chief Secretary George Mkondiwa dated June 28, 2016, Kalilani has been seconded to FIU as Deputy Director with effect from June 16, 2016.
“I write to inform you that it has pleased His Excellency the President to second you as Deputy Director at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) with effect from 16th June 2016.”
“Under the secondment, Reserve Bank of Malawi, as your employer, will continue paying your salary and other benefits you are entitled to, and FIU will pay any differences that may be payable to you at the grade of Deputy Director level in FIU,” reads the letter in part.
“It would therefore, be appreciated if you could wind up your affairs at Reserve Bank of Malawi and arrange to report for duties at the Financial Intelligence Unit as soon as possible,” reads part of the letter.
Nyasa Times has found out that the secondment attracted resistance with some top brass at RBM trying to ‘reason’ with government ‘to give them someone more qualified’ but they fell on deaf ears.
“That is why this issue has been dragging from June 28, 2016 when the letter was written up to now,” said a source from RBM.
Other sources said Kalilani was an operative of the DPP during the 2014 elections and the appointment is a reward for the ‘hard work’ that he did for the party to win the elections using his technological expertise.
But FIU officers who spoke to Nyasa Times said members of the Malawi corruption cartel fear that the coming in of Kalilani who has vast training and experience working in online money tracking systems will expose many corrupt business persons, politicians and government officers who have been shielding them.
Investigations have revealed that some officials at the FIU and the Reserve Bank of Malawi have been colluding to be concealing financial information about politicians, top business executives who participated in the plunder of the treasury commonly known as Cashgate.
But central bank officials say Kalilani, whose current position at the RBM is Project Analyst, is not qualified for the job and that he is too junior for the post.
He is said to be a telephone operator by profession and will be deputizing the FIU boss to follow and solve complex financial transactions.
RBM officials said he has worked at central bank for about 18 years most of which he spent as a telephone operator and fixer before moving him to the projects department.
However, Nyasa Times learnt that Kalilani has an MBA from ESAMI and certification for Telecommunication Business Information System .
Nyasa Times has further established that Kalilani has been handling Reserve Banks Mobile Financial Services and data transfer systems for the past 15 years.
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