Chakwera gives 14 days to commission of inquiry on Chizuma arrest

Malawi: President Lazarus Chakwera has given the commission of inquiry 14 days to establish the truth about what led to the arrest of Martha Chizuma, Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, on December 6, 2022, writes Leonard Masauli, Mana.

President Chakwera made the remarks on Saturday afternoon during the inauguration of 11 commissioners tasked with conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General.

He stated that the establishment of the commission of enquiry is a critical matter of public interest in the country because establishing the truth has become more difficult for a variety of reasons.

The president said that in Malawi, the truth is frequently obscured by a deep culture of gossip, lies, and slander that poisons every public discourse with conspiracy theories published by nameless sources all over the media.

Chakwera stated that in the case of the ACB Director, there have been competing conspiracy theories that have been widely published, and thus there is an urgent need for the truth to be established and separated from rumours so that Malawians are not left at the mercy of propaganda.

Furthermore, the President stated that in Malawi, the truth is obscured by a lack of trust between the public and public institutions, which trust has been broken for a decade and will require a long time and concerted efforts to be restored.

He also reminded the commissioners of their responsibility to restore public trust in public institutions by producing a report with recommendations and facts about where the rot is and which institutions are involved in wrongdoing.

The commission has been charged with delivering the report and recommendations to the President within 14 days.

Among the members of the commission include; Justice Edward Twea (Rtd), Mr .Enock Chibwana, Mons. Patrick Thawale, Mr Lot Dzonzi, Ms Maureen Kachingwe, Mr John Gift Mwakhwawa, Ms innocencia Chilombo, Mr Kassim Mdala Amuli, Rev. Elsie M. Tembo, Senor Chief Tengani, Ms Lingalireni Mihowa, and Frank Kalowafumbi.