By Wezzie Gausi
The Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations (Odpod) has disclosed that there still is a high default rate among mainstream public officers in the country in terms of declaring their assets.
On the other hand, politicians have reportedly taken a leading role in disclosing their wealth without challenges.
In an interview after appearing before a cluster of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises and Public Appointments committees of Parliament, Odpod Deputy Director Beyani Munthali said the directorate has been targeting 100 percent compliance for declaration.
“What is happening is not good. We believe through the relevant committee, we will be helped on how to handle this issue.
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“Apart from that, we have an Act that gives us power to report such officers to appointing authorities to have their jobs terminated and never to work in the government for seven years,” Munthali said.
Cluster co-Chairperson Joyce Chitsulo said it was high time defaulting officers got penalised to serve as a warning to others.
She said her committee will be engaging institutions whose employees are defaulting and map the way forward.
“In this age of fighting corruption, why should public officers hide what they have? It means there is something fishy; so, we really need to meet these institutions and, as a committee, agree on the way forward,” Chitsulo said.
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The law compels listed public officers to declare their assets in the first three months of the year or after occupying a listed position.
Section 18 of the Act, among others, calls for the dismissal of listed officers who “without reasonable cause, fail to submit the required declaration.”
Odpod’s latest report shows that State-owned enterprises have once again emerged as major culprits of non-compliance with the assets law.
