Chizuma Now a Distraction in Corruption Fight – Mzuzu CSO
Some Civil Society Organisations in Mzuzu have described recent events surrounding Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General Martha Chizuma as a distraction to the fight against graft and have since called for her removal from office.
The CSOs speaking under the banner, Mzuzu Civil Society Network made the call in during a press conference held in Mzuzu on Thursday.
Speaking during the event, chairperson for the group Mervin Nxumayo advised President Lazarus Chakwera to flex his powers and remove Chizuma from office and immediately appoint her replacement.
“We appeal to the president to simply effect the rules that govern the removal of the ACB Director and arrange to recruit a new Director who will pick up the issues from where the current office holder left them,” said Nxumayo.
Nxumayo also added that Chizuma’s return at ACB won’t be productive but will be one full of vengeance and will be costly to the tax payers money in the long run.
The grouping also released a statement in which they bemoaned the conduct of the donor community in interfering with the country’s sovereignty by imposing conditions of governance on the Chizuma saga.
This follows a release earlier this week by the United States Embassy which condemned the Attorney General’s application to vacate a court order filed by Malawi Law Society that gave relief to Chizuma which it described as culminating two months of harassment by government or Malawi officials against the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Director General.
“As a democratic partner the US Embassy looks to the Government of Malawi to actively pursue the fight against corruption and not to wage a campaign of intimidation against Anti-Corruption champions,” read the US Embassy’s statement in part.
The United States Embassy further stated that the step taken seek to reinstitute the action by the Secretary to the President and Cabinet to interdict the ACB Director General.
Some of the notable CSOs present at the press conference include: the Christian Justice Network, Young Politicians Union and the Young Human Rights Network
In a related development, on Wednesday, High Court Judge, Mike Tembo threw out an application filed by the Attorney General to stop the permission for judicial review granted to the Malawi Law Society over the interdiction of Martha Chizuma for alleged misconduct of a public officer in accordance with the Public Service Commission regulation over a leaked phone interview.
