Chakwera calls for unity among ACB chief, DPP, AG

President Lazarus Chakwera has challenged heads of governance institutions to work cordially, if the fight against corruption is to be won.

This follows an interagency meeting he held with them at Kamuzu palace in Lilongwe yesterday

Chakwera met three of the key players in the governance circle namely Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda, the Director of Public Prosecutions-DPP Masauko Chamkakala and the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau-ACB Martha Chizuma.

Also present during the meeting was Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo and Secretary to the President and Cabinet-SPC Colleen Zamba.

Writing on his official Facebook page, Chakwera has stressed on the need for a collaborative working relationship among these key institutions, especially their heads.

“A cordial engagement among these critical institutions cements our resolve to deal with corruption with a seamless approach that bears fruits,’’ said Chakwera.

There has been a strained working relationship between the then DPP Steven Kayuni and ACB Director Chizuma over prosecution consent processes.

The development is said to have been leading to delays in the ACB’s prosecution of several high profile cases.

Earlier, Chakwera ordered on Mvalo to engage the three (ACB Director, DPP and the AG) in dialogue towards ironing out their differences.

Zamba, Chakaka Nyirenda, Chizuma, Chamkakala and Mvalo

However, the bad blood between the three continued, until it got personal, when Kayuni ordered the arrest of Chizuma on December 6, over a leaked phone conversation.

With a new DPP in place, the President wants to ensure a sound working relationship with the ACB, AG and the justice minister towards effectively fighting corruption.

Chakwera has now challenged the governance institution heads to be guided by legal statutes when undertaking their day to day activities.

‘’I have prompted the institutional heads to collaboratively undertake their noble duty guided only by the sovereign administrative and legal statutes above anything else,” Chakwera said.

The ACB director was recently interdicted, a move viewed by critics as a way of preventing her from taking to task some prominent personalities allegedly involved in corrupt dealings.

The interdiction resulted from the same leaked phone conversation on which Kayuni had her arrested for.