Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) has added its weight to calls for the interdiction case of estranged Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Martha Chizuma to be dropped.

In a statement yesterday, Cdedi executive director Sylvester Namiwa, said taxpayers’ money spent on hiring private practice lawyers in the case can be used in important sectors such as health, especially now when the country is grappling with the cholera outbreak.

Questions Tonse Alliance’s position
on ACB: Namiwa

He said: “We, at Cdedi, strongly believe that it is not too late for the President [Lazarus Chakwera] to borrow a leaf from his Kenyan counterpart [President] William Ruto by declaring that any government department or ministry that drags another organ of government to court should pay from its purse.”

On January 7 2023, Ruto warned Kenya’s government ministries and departments against suing each other, saying his administration will not incur expenditures to cater for their legal costs.

In our local context, Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda is fighting to restore Chizuma’s interdiction following a High Court order granted to Malawi Law Society (MLS) pending a judicial review of the decision to have her case suspended.

The move is seen as infighting between State agencies and has since received widespread condemnation from development partners, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

And in his statement, Namiwa said it is imperative for the President to decisively act on case be dropped.

He said what is surprising amid the Chizuma debacle is that government says it does not have money to pay suppliers to provide medicines and medical supplies amid the cholera outbreak yet it has money to fight the ACB boss’ case.

“It, therefore, beats human imagination that the same government does not have money to pay suppliers of essential drugs and medical supplies, but has money to hire private practice lawyers to fight against the will and wish of the voters and taxpayers, most of whom sympathise with Chizuma because she is doing what is expected of her,” said Namiwa.

For the Chizuma interdiction case, government has hired former Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale and private practice lawyer George Jivason Kadzipatike to represent the State on appealing High Court Judge Mike Tembo’s ruling for Chizuma to remain interdicted.

But Namiwa said if the President does not come out to condemn the situation it will translate that his Tonse Alliance administration does not need ACB services.

Newly-appointed Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu, who is also the official government spokesperson, this week said government remains firm on its stance on fighting corruption irrespective of the current events.

In January last year, Chakwera reprimanded Chizuma over the audio, but said he had forgiven her. A commission of inquiry into Chizuma’s arrest faulted both Chizuma and Kayuni for failing to use sound judgement in the handling of the issues.

The post Cdedi wants Chizuma case dropped first appeared on The Nation Online.

The post Cdedi wants Chizuma case dropped appeared first on The Nation Online.