PAC rejects claims on Malawi Assets Director

The parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) has rejected claims that it was warned about director of Public Assets Declaration Christopher Tukula’s criminal record before his appointment.

Tukula, a lawyer by profession, was arrested on Friday evening for allegedly interfering with investigations into the ongoing cases on Cashgate, the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill.

There has been reports that PAC was warned that Tukula had “cases which would obviously come out”.

But the PAC Chairperson Lingson Belekanyama argued that no one warned them against any person they interviewed for the post.

“That’s not true. At what stage can someone bring out such an issue when there is very little time between short-listing the candidates and interviewing?

“And in any case, what would be the interest of the person claiming to have tipped us? There is no possible way of someone warning PAC on anyone’s recruitment. In fact, there is no space for such a thing to happen. So, no one forewarned us against appointing Tukula or anyone else,” contended Belekanyama in an interview with a daily paper.

He also said PAC has no say regarding the progress of the office following Tukula’s arrest.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is also yet to charge Tukula.

Tukula, who was expected to appear before court for a possible bail application on Monday was not available at the court.

When asked of his client’s where about, his lawyer Raphael Kasambara just said: “These things are as a result of a process.”

Tukula’s arrest has sparked a heated debate in the country as the ACB was accused of making the arrest against a fresh court order to stop the same.

But Matemba said the purported fresh order was yet to be served on the bureau.

Tukula was hired about two months ago as director of the country’s controversial Office of Directorate of Public Assets Declaration an office set to oversee the enforcement of declaration of assets by public officers including the President and his Vice.