Malawi Law Society Demands Full Release of Commission's Report on Arrest of ACB Director General

Malawi: The Malawi Law Society is calling for the release of the full report of the Commission of Inquiry into the arrest of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General on December 6, 2022.

The society made the demand in a statement released on January 3, 2023, in which it cited several reasons for its request.

According to the statement, the President of Malawi appointed the commission to address matters of concern regarding the arrest of the ACB Director General, and the commission is required to be transparent to the public under the Constitution and the Commissions of Inquiry Act.

The statement also pointed out that the public is entitled to access information held by the state, including the full report of the commission.

The society argued that without access to the full report, it is impossible to fairly evaluate the work of the 12 commissioners.

The statement also noted that the authority given to the commission by the President specifically required them to focus on the arrest, but pages 50–60 of the report appear to address a different scope of inquiry.

In light of these reasons, the Malawi Law Society called on the President, the Chairman of the Commission, and the other commissioners to enhance their public trust, transparency, and accountability by releasing the full report as soon as possible.

"We cannot fairly evaluate the 12 Commissioners’ output without examining what they have looked at on pages 1-49 of their report which is not available to the public," the society stated.