CRFA disowns Ajawa
Some Central Region Football Association (CRFL) executive members have distanced themselves from the court case in which the association’s chairperson Austin Ajawa applied for judicial review against the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Seven out of 12 CRFA executive members have requested that Registrar of the High Court of Malawi (Civil Division) to remove them from the case claiming that Ajawa acted on an individual capacity when he applied for judicial review and an injunction against ACB.
“Please refer to the Honourable Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda’s ruling dated November 30, 2020 in which it was stated that Mr Austin Bura Ajawa and the Central Region Football Association applied for judicial review and an injunction against the Anti-Corruption Bureau in respect of the restriction notice that the latter issued against the
holding of an elective AGM that was scheduled for 14 November 2020. The said restriction notice was issued following complaints by [a] concerned party that the nomination process was marred by fraud and bribery.
“We, the undersigned members of the Central Region Football Association, have learnt with great shock that Mr Ajawa dragged the ACB to court with the aim of preventing the AntiCorruption Bureau from doing its work. We are further shocked to learn that the Central Region Football Association has been joined as 2nd Applicant in the matter,” reads the notice which seven officials have signed.
“The Central Region Football Association never met to decide taking [sic] the Anti-Corruption Bureau to court. The Central Region Football Association is not the office of the Chairman who took ACB to court trying to block justice.”
The members said Ajawa’s act contravenes Articles 27(1), (2) and (5) of CRFA constitution which state that ‘The executive committee shall not engage in legitimate debates unless in the presence of six (6) or more members.
“We strongly believe that Mr Ajawa should have disclosed to court that CRFA never met as a committee to make a resolution to take the AntiCorruption Bureau to court. By failing to disclose this important factor Ajawa misled the court. He did not come to the court with clean hands. It is against this background that we the undersigned disassociate CRFA from the decision to take ACB to court and requests that CRFA should be removed from the case,” the letter reads.
Some of the signatories include Simeon Lijenje, Pyson Likagwa, Bwanali Missi, Owen Munthali, Paul Kampira, Winston Katendema and Joe Mwase.
Ajawa downplayed the issue saying everyone within the committee was free to express their opinion.
“I won’t dwell on this issue,” he said. ACB stopped regional polls for three of Fam‘s affiliates including CRFA following complaints of corruption that marred the nomination process.
