Malawian authorities have suspended the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Martha Chizuma, over audios leaked twelve months ago in which she made comments about investigations carried out by her office.
The decision was taken in the context of a lawsuit filed against Chizuma for these recordings, which went viral in January 2022, and in view of her arraignment for allegedly harming a person undergoing judicial proceedings.
The Secretary to the Presidency, Colleen Zamba, has stressed that Chizuma «must cease exercising his powers and functions» and «not leave Malawi without written permission» for the duration of this suspension, as reported by the newspaper ‘Nyasa Times’.
The president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, has publicly defended Chizuma against the accusations against her and in January ratified her in office despite the content of the recordings, in which she discloses classified information on several investigations.
He also announced the dismissal of the chief prosecutor, Steven William Kayuni, over the controversial December arrest of the ACB chief and stressed that «it is serious that the chief prosecutor had a moment of misjudgment or conflict of interest».
The president explained that «Chizuma has a constitutional right to file a lawsuit against the person who recorded his statements against his will» and added that «he will prevent a person from trying to use his position in a public institution to attack another in order to settle personal scores».
Chizuma was charged for her statements, in which she made specific reference to Kayuni. In the audio leaked in April, the ACB chief calls the then Malawi chief prosecutor «corrupt» and «compromised» in alleged corruption cases, which led to her arrest.
Malawi’s president announced late Tuesday a government reshuffle that includes a reduction in the number of ministers and the appointment of seven new faces, including an opposition figure, following allegations against several ministers for their alleged involvement in corruption cases.
Chakwera won the 2020 elections, which were held after the presidential elections held in 2019 — in which former president Peter Mutharika won re-election — were annulled by the courts because of irregularities during the process.
Following this, the new president promised in his inaugural speech at the end of June 2020 to fight corruption in the country and called on the judicial apparatus to «do more to end the culture of corruption and selective justice», although members of his own Executive have been involved in corruption scandals.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
