PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA MALAWI :

TIME FOR ACTION ON ‘CASHGATE’

CORRUPTION SCANDAL

MALAWI: TIME FOR ACTION ON ‘CASHGATE’

CORRUPTION SCANDAL

THERE IS A REAL FEAR IN MALAWI THAT WHEN

PARLIAMENT IS DISSOLVED ON 20 MARCH AHEAD

OF ELECTIONS SLATED FOR 20 MAY, THE SENIOR

MEMBERS OF THE NETWORK RESPONSIBLE FOR

ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S BIGGEST CORRUPTION

SCANDALS, DUBBED ‘CASHGATE’, WILL ESCAPE

JUSTICE.PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA SAYS.

MANY BELIEVE THE ELECTION PERIOD WILL STALL

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND COULD ALLOW

INDIVIDUALS – BOTH SENIOR OFFICIALS AND LOWER

LEVEL CIVIL SERVANTS INVOLVED IN THE SCANDAL

– TO ESCAPE THE REACH OF THE LAW, WHILE

OTHERS MAY BE SHIELDED BY PARLIAMENTARY

IMMUNITY IF THEY OR THEIR PARTY SUCCEED IN

WINNING SEATS IN PARLIAMENT.

"CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS IN MALAWI ARE CALLING

ON THE GOVERNMENT TO WALK THE TALK IN THE

FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION, PARTICULARLY SINCE

THE RELEASE OF THE FORENSIC AUDIT REPORT

THE ‘CASHGATE’ SCANDAL ON 21 FEBRUARY.

THE REPORT WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE MALAWI

GOVERNMENT AND FUNDED BY THE UK

GOVERNMENT, WHICH GAVE MALAWI £117 MILLION

IN 2012. THE REPORT FOCUSED ON THE FACTS OF

THE CASE AND DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY INDIVIDUAL

SUSPECTS.

THERE SHOULD BE NO IMPUNITY FOR THOSE

INVOLVED IN STEALING FROM THE STATE. THE

MONEY SHOULD BE USED TO HELP REDUCE

POVERTY IN MALAWI AND TO RAISE LIVING

STANDARDS FOR ALL CITIZENS.”

THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER TO MALAWI,

MICHAEL NEVIN, INSISTED THAT NAMING PEOPLE IN

THE REPORT COULD COMPROMISE ONGOING

COURT CASES, A POSITION CHALLENGED BY CIVIL

SOCIETY GROUPS AND THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

COMMITTEE (PAC) OF PARLIAMENT.

THE SCANDAL INVOLVES AN ESTIMATED US$20

MILLION TO US$100 MILLION THAT HAS GONE

MISSING FROM GOVERNMENT COFFERS.

IT BECAME NEWS LAST YEAR IMMEDIATELY AFTER

MALAWI’S BUDGET DIRECTOR WAS SHOT UNDER

CIRCUMSTANCES THAT STILL REMAIN A MYSTERY,

AND HUGE SUMS OF CASH IN BOTH LOCAL AND

FOREIGN CURRENCY WERE FOUND IN THE

VEHICLES AND HOMES OF SOME CIVIL SERVANTS,

MOST OF THEM LOW-RANKING JUNIOR

ACCOUNTANTS ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT JOYCE

BANDA.

FOREIGN DEVELOPMENT DONORS PULLED THE

PLUG ON US$150 MILLION FOR THE 2013/14

FISCAL YEAR, AT LEAST TEMPORARILY. UP TO 40

PER CENT OF MALAWI’S ANNUAL BUDGET IS

DONOR-FUNDED.

THIS HAS ANGERED CITIZENS AS PUBLIC SERVICES,

PARTICULARLY HEALTH AND EDUCATION, HAVE

BEEN CUT. AT THE SAME TIME THE PACE OF

INVESTIGATIONS REMAINS SLOW. THERE HAVE

REPORTEDLY BEEN 68 ARRESTS BUT FEW CASES

HAVE GONE TO COURT.

FUNDING CHALLENGES CONTINUE TO CRIPPLE THE

KEY INSTITUTIONS TASKED WITH BUILDING THE

CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION, INCLUDING THE

ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU, THE MINISTRY OF

JUSTICE AND THE JUDICIARY. PRESIDENT JOYCE

BANDA RESHUFFLED HER CABINET, DISMISSING

SEVERAL MINISTERS INCLUDING THE MINISTERS OF

FINANCE AND JUSTICE.

KEYWORDS:

IMPUNITY, SCANDALS, POLITICAL IMMUNITY,

PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA, POLITICAL SCANDALS,

CASHGATE, MALAWI CORRUPTION, MALAWIAN

PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA, ELECTORAL

HUMILIATION, MALAWI, AFRICA AND INDIAN

OCEAN,WORLD NEWS, NEWS, MALAWI,

AFRICA,WORLD NEWS, CASHGATE CORRUPTION

SCANDAL, MALAWIAN PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA