Thandizani Newspaper Yanu
SCOPE
Whose side are graft busters ACB on?
OPINION
THERE is news that the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) is investigating two senior members of the governing Democratic Progressive Party. They are former finance minister Hon. Goodall Gondwe being probed on allegations of improper conduct regarding the botched privatization of Air Malawi and Speaker of Assembly Hon. Chimunthu Banda on failure to account for allowances he received for a foreign trip that never materialised.
The ACB has handled quite a number of cases regarding high profile public figures, among them former president Bakili Muluzi and former vice president Dr. Cassim Chilumpha. Indeed, most of the cases mentioned have the appearance of improper conduct.
I however have a problem in their selective approach in these cases and how they seem to go about with their investigations. Without a doubt, public figures, because they occupy unique positions representing many things to many people, find themselves in situations most ordinary people would never be in and if the public officials are not careful they can and do commit white collar crimes. At the same time, there are public officials who go out of their way to demand kickbacks just to do what they were elected to do.
It was in this regard that we hoped the ACB would work on behalf of Malawians in holding public officials to the highest standards. The ACB however seems to have an agenda—of course they are supposed to have an agenda—that’s political in nature. This is not to impugn the professional standing of the investigators but they seem to embark on investigations haphazardly and yield nothing or they take forever to produce results.
This politicisation of the institution has rendered it impotent to an extent and it’s a waste of tax payers’ money and that in my opinion requires an investigation of its own. Why has it taken all these years to bring a case against Muluzi? Are you telling me that taking this long in an investigation would have no impact whatsoever on evidence against a suspect?
So, as pointed out above, there is a high-profile investigation of Goodall Gondwe. I hear the ACB in its investigation of Gondwe emailed banks but just how certain could one be about where that kind of information could land.
Next to Gondwe is Speaker Chimunthu Banda. But do you need a whole ACB to find out whether the speaker went on a trip or not? An internal audit clerk at parliament should be able to do that within a very short period and save resources. Of course, it should not surprise anyone for someone to acknowledge that they took the money and used it in anticipation of a cancelled trip and that they are willing to pay back the money. Whether there is a window when one is expected to return such monies not used is another issue but the point is that you don’t need high-powered investigators to handle such a case.
My hunch is that the ACB here is using Chimunthu Banda to deceive people that indeed it’s doing its job when the real big fish it wants to catch is Goodall Gondwe. In case you didn’t know, Gondwe has outlived his usefulness to the DPP. Going forward, the party doesn’t need him. The DPP already replaced Gondwe and his fellow cabinet ministers fired in a cabinet reshuffle.
Talking about investigations in the House, there was a case involving Clerk of Parliament Matilda Katopola who was
said to have improperly awarded business to her own company. Reports said she had one of those brief case companies.
Did the ACB probe Katopola? If it did, what did it come up with? If not, why not? If nothing was done, why should we have an institution that is supposed to curb white collar crimes and fraud but only take up cases of people not liked by someone powerful? Is the ACB not encouraging the very things it is supposed to prevent?
Before I forget, there was the issue of scholarships to China which apparently only benefitted relations of cabinet ministers and senior government officials. What happened?
I have lost faith in the ACB and I wish them well. I am sure I am not the only one with that dim view.
Here is what I do know. We can complain about all these things and nothing will improve if we just sit back and do nothing. One my say, what have I myself done to make sure our situation improves. I believe that no effort is too small. By speaking out without fear on issues— ACB abusing its role or the agency itself being abused--which affect our country, we can bring about the change we need. All of us are the custodian of Malawi although there are always those who think they have more at stake than others.
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The author can be reached at nyolokawaka@aol.com.
Muckracking on Sunday w/Raphael Tenthani had a part missing. We have reloaded the column, 
Another case in point is the much-touted youth development loans. Since the president contradicted himself by saying the loans are for all youths in Malawi but in the same breath gave the not-so-veiled instructions that DPP youths must be given priority I knew the scheme was destined for trouble.
Whatever entered these young men and women's heads? was the impromptu question almost everybody to a man asked after a family of five decided that the best way to exorcise a spell allegedly cast on them by their own parents was to toss themselves onto a ball of fire.
MZUZU--A judge in Mzuzu has ruled that Jim Jumani Johansson--the 37-year-old man who fervently claims he is the son of former dictator Kamuzu Banda--can visit the business empire of the founder president but for business purposes only.
BLANTRE--The usual everyday politics took the back-seat in the Malawi media this week as gruesome religious rituals that led to a mass suicide attempt in the commercial capital, Blantyre, dominated the headlines.