By Mercy Matonga:
The government has announced that it has recovered K500 million in 2024 from financial crimes, including corruption and the illegal charcoal trade.
Since 2022, the Office of the Attorney General (AG) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have been collaborating with the newly established Asset Forfeiture Unit to recover funds from people suspected of acquiring wealth through corruption, tax evasion and fraudulent government contracts.
According to DPP Masauko Chamkakala, through Ministry of Justice spokesperson Frank Namangale, the government has recovered K500 million in 2024, out of a total of K2.6 billion collected since 2022.
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“The compilation of data includes all financial crimes, from corruption to the illegal charcoal trade. Recoveries began in 2017 and for cash recoveries, the money is deposited into the Consolidated Fund. Since 2022, we have recovered K2.6 billion,” Namangale said.
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He added that since the project’s inception in 2017, the account has received deposits totalling close to K3.1 billion, with cooperation from individuals, particularly in tax-related cases, amounting to approximately K20 billion.
“The recoveries are ongoing and these figures do not include the value of seized assets such as houses, factories, motor vehicles and other properties,” Namangale added.
However, the DPP’s office could not specify how much money the office is aiming to collect or how many people are involved in the programme.
Commenting on the matter, Malawi Law Society Honorary Secretary Gabriel Chembezi said it is difficult to assess the performance of the asset recovery regime solely by looking at the figures provided by the DPP, given the absence of statistics on the number of financial crime cases pursued during the period in question and the value of the suspected stolen public funds.
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“The Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament may summon the DPP to account for the exercise of his powers under Section 101(2) of the Constitution, where the DPP can provide a detailed update to the public on the status of the asset recovery efforts,” Chembezi said.
