By Mercy Matonga
The Malawi Government has faulted the United States (US) government’s move to sanction senior Malawian officials for alleged corrupt practices.
Malawi officials say the move is tantamount to interference in the judicial system.
On Wednesday, the US announced that it had designated and barred from entering the country former Anti-Corruption Bureau director general Reyneck Matemba, Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority former board chairperson John Suzi-Banda, Malawi Police Service (MPS) former inspector general George Kainja and MPS lawyer Mwabi Kaluba for alleged corrupt dealings with United Kingdom-based businessman Zuneth Sattar.
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Spouses of each of the officials have also been sanctioned.
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In a statement released Thursday, signed by Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu—who is also the official government spokesperson — government says only the Judiciary has the authority to determine who is guilty of crimes.
“Government of Malawi has noted a statement from the US State Department designating four former officers of the Government of Malawi as being “generally ineligible for entry into the United States due to their involvement in significant corruption.
“The government respects the right of the US government, as a custodian of a sovereign state, to bar any person from other countries from entering its borders. The Government of Malawi wishes to reiterate its policy and position to respect the independence of the courts as the sole determinant of guilt or innocence of any person answering various charges in Malawi courts. The government maintains its resolve to continue respecting the constitutional right of every Malawian accused of a crime to defend themselves before the courts,” the statement reads.
Government further says it would continue engaging the US government directly in the spirit of bilateral and mutual respect to ensure continued respect of the independence of Malawi’s Judiciary in determining the culpability of any accused persons without undue external influence.
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“The government fully subscribes to the constitutional rights of all accused persons in Malawi and to accord them due process, a fair trial and the presumption of innocence until found guilty [or acquitted] by the courts. The Malawi Government reiterates its assurance to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Malawi Judiciary,” the statement adds.
This is not the first time the US has sanctioned government officials over corruption before completion of trial.
In July 2019, the US also barred former Home Affairs minister Uladi Mussa in line with the same Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programmes Act of 2019 that has been used to bar the current officials.
