Questionable Appointment Of Lt General Dr Paul Valentino Phiri as New Army Commander Who Is Under Investigation

OPINION….

By Burnett Munthali…….

It is important to fight corruption and fighting corruption is one of the campaign promises President Reverend Lazarus Chakwera made and promised to do when he was in the opposition vying for State House.

Undetected and unchecked corruption in the public sector can cause serious damage including undermining public trust in government, wasting public resources and money.

President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera recently announced the appointment of Lt General Paul Valentino Phiri as the new Army Commander, replacing Vincent Nundwe. Indeed, we expect a significant change in leadership within the Malawi Defense Force and the government must demonstrate commitment to ensuring a strong and capable military.

The Constitution of the Republic of Malawi empowers President Lazarus Chakwera, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defense Force, to appoint Lt General Dr Paul Valentino Phiri as the new Commander of the Malawi Defense Force. The President’s letter highlights that Lt General Phiri has been promoted to the rank of General with immediate effect. This appointment recognizes Lt General Phiri’s experience, leadership, and dedication to serving the nation.

Lt General Paul Valentino Phiri assumes the role of Army Commander after serving as the deputy Army Commander. With his extensive military background and expertise, Lt General Phiri is well-equipped to lead the Malawi Defense Force and uphold national security.

The Challenge

I personally find this particular appointment very problematic and strange. I have on many occasions also failed to understand the integrity of President Reverend Lazarus Chakwera in his appointments even his cabinet, cabinet reshuffle and at immigration and citizenship.

Now look at this. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Malawi recently launched an investigation in June 2023 into allegations of financial misconduct involving the country’s Malawi’s Deputy Defence Commander, Lieutenant General Paul V. Phiri. The ACB confirmed that Phiri is being probed over suspicions of misusing K38.5 million of taxpayers money. The case, which dates back to 2021, has raised concerns about the alleged abuse of public funds by a high-ranking military officer.

The Director of the ACB, Martha Chizuma, acknowledged the ongoing investigation and the focus on Lieutenant General Phiri. The probe follows reports that Phiri was involved in the misuse of funds during his tenure as Major General in the Malawi Defence Force.

According to the allegations, Phiri allegedly influenced the payment of K38.2 million on April 20, 2021. It is claimed that he coerced the accountant to authorize the payment by including his name and that of another officer through an addendum to the list of overseas training allowance arrears for MDF officers and staff. The funds were allocated for the maintenance of buildings (K10.2 million) and foreign training (K22.8 million). Additionally, another K5.4 million was purportedly allocated to another officer. The payment was made using a Malawi Government Malawi Defence Force payment voucher number: 101PV5027437 and cheque number 379028 issued to the National Bank Capital City branch.

Further allegations suggest that Phiri requested the payment of all outstanding arrears by claiming that his voucher was issued against an updated list of all outstanding overseas allowances. It is alleged that he directed the Defence Force Commander to ensure the immediate payment without any further delay. However, reports indicate that the payment had no basis as Phiri did not have any outstanding arrears to claim. The Malawi Defence Force had already settled the arrears during the tenure of Mark Chiziko as the MDF Commander.

The source of these allegations also claims that Phiri added names of officers who had already received their allowance to increase the figures for himself. While 17 MDF officers were eligible for overseas training, Phiri allegedly included an additional name, bringing the total to 19.

Suggestion

I feel the President should appoint someone else as Amy Commander because the current one is under corruption investigation and there’s no way he can say that he is not aware of this investigation. By appointing someone who is under investigation, it looks like the President is in support of corruption.

This appointment appears to indirectly stop the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) from investigating the matter further. How does the President appoint a corruption suspect? Chakwera should respect the office of the Anti Corruption Director and walk the talk.

Conclusion

I always wonder why President Chakwera is in the habit of making bad decisions on many occasions. The first wrong decision made by the president in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) was when he appointed a retired former Army Commander Vincent Nundwe at the time in 2020. That was the time the President should have appointed the Deputy Defence Commander because there was no case against Lt General Paul Valentino Phir at the time. His hands were clean.

The second mistake Chakwera has made is to appoint Lt General Paul Valentino Phiri as the new Army Commander when he is being investigated by the Anti Corruption Bureau. There’s no way he could be taken seriously as a strong fighter against corruption in this country. Or is the President completely ignorant in everything that he is doing? Chakwera is simply damaging hours own image even more than necessary.

This appointment only looks like another kind of corruption or corruption cover up adding up to another corruption in the making. I mean, how do you make Malawians who already tired of corruption stories believe a President who makes such wrong and suspicious appointments? Make good decisions and appointments for once Mr President.