By Pemphero Malimba:
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has said it prioritises quick investigations and prosecutions to help address corruption in the country.
ACB acting Director General Gabriel Chembezi said this while commenting on President Peter Mutharika’s State of The Nation Address (Sona).
Mutharika presented the Sona to Parliament in Lilongwe on Friday.
Chembezi said the bureau was committed to ensuring that culprits of corruption were taken to task in the country.
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He said the bureau wanted to see cases being investigated and prosecuted within a short time.
“We don’t want to have a situation where an investigation takes place for five years. We want quick investigation to get quick results and then quick prosecutions, especially quick prosecutions of [high] profile cases so that we should send a very good message that crime doesn’t pay,” he said.
He said Mutharika’s declaration that “there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption” had set a good tone and the bureau was ready to support the cause.
“The President and the government have set a good tone in the fight against corruption and we, as ACB, are going to maintain that tone,” he said.
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Chembezi said the ACB was committed to seeing lost public funds recovered from suspects of corruption.
“We always say that corruption takes away the resources from the people of Malawi. Now, if we just arrest people and we don’t recover the stolen assets, there will be nothing we will be doing. So, nowadays, we have a concept that we call civil assets forfeiture. This one is not tied to the criminal process. You just look at the property and if there is evidence that this is the illegally acquired property, we apply to the court to have that property or money forfeited,” he said.
He said the ACB would intensify its efforts.
“The expectation of Malawians going forward is to see a very active ACB. You have seen the steps that the ACB has taken aiming at arresting people and prosecuting people who are responsible for theft [people] who are responsible for abuse of public office,” he said.
Among other things, Mutharika said his government would arrest anyone involved in corrupt practices in the country.
“Mr. Speaker, Sir, when I say anyone, I mean anyone! It doesn’t matter whether you are a Cabinet minister, party official, Member of Parliament or government official. I will shield no one. And there will be no sacred cows. Let us make Malawi a land of justice!” he said.
