The United States embassy has decried government’s continued fighting and intimidation against Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma.
The remarks comes despite President Lazarus Chakwera’s assurances that he has confidence in Chizuma.
In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Embassy said it is deeply concerned over a series of actions against Chizuma which “has severely damaged the credibility of the Malawi government’s fight against corruption”.
The statement said the Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda’s urgent application to vacate a court order on removing the interdiction for Chizuma speaks volumes on how the government intends to pursue some charges which is frustrating efforts to fight corruption.
“Our shared commitment to Malawi’s development depends on trust that Malawi will use public resources, including development funds, transparently, fairly, and with accountability.
“We actively engaged senior government officials to seek renewed commitment to the fight against corruption, but those efforts have not yielded results,” reads the statement in part.
On Tuesday, government through the AG challenged the court order that prevented it from going ahead with the decision to interdict Chizuma and also granted the Malawi Law Society (MLS) an order for a Judicial Review on the matter.
Chizuma was interdicted after Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba over criminal charges she is facing in connection with the leaked audio.
In a challenge for the stay, Chakaka Nyirenda has hired Kalekeni Kaphale, George Kadzipatike and Chancy Gondwe to represent government in court.
