ACB negotiating with judiciary to establish special financial courts to handle corruption and fraud issues

A special financial court in Dubai

By Steven Godfrey Mkweteza

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is negotiating with judiciary to establish special financial courts to be handling corruption and fraud issues to help speed up a backlog of cases.

This was revealed by the ACB’s deputy director general, Elias Bodole in Blantyre during a dissemination meeting aimed at popularising the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), which was launched in December 2019.

Once such special financial courts are established, it will also help to speed up investigations and during the meeting he challenged the private sector to be proactive in playing their roles in the fight against corruption as outlined in the NACS for it to succeed.

Bodole said just like other players, the private sector have critical roles to play in the country’s fight against corruption which, if well managed, will contribute to NACS’ success — thereby winning the fight against corruption in the country.

“Actually, what we have to understand is that there are things which the ACB can ably do and there are also other things which the private sector can ably do in fighting corruption in the country,” he said.

He added that ACB “will always work according to what is in the Corrupt Practices Act while the private sector have that broader perspective where they can introduce social accountability clubs where they can implement their strides in the fight against corruption”.

“Fighting corruption is not only the mandate of ACB but also the responsibility of different stakeholders, who need to work together, failing which the country will continue grappling with massive corruption.”

He said in ensuring that all stakeholders know and play their roles, the graft busting body plans to populize the new NACS to all pillars.

“We are learning from the first NACS which did not achieve what it intended to. This time around we still make sure that it has been popularised to all pillars just as we have done here where we are meeting with the private sector.

“We will make sure that these popularisation meetings continue, others will be initiated by the private sector and others will be initiated by us, so the popularisation will be very great and for sure each and evert pillar will be reached.

Bodole said described the private sector as a hotbed for corruption perpetrators and victims, saying: “If there is corruption in government, then it is because of the private sector players who corrupt government officials for business and other kickbacks mostly in the procurement departments.”

In a separate interview, James Chimwaza — president for Malawi Confederations of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) — appealed to the private sector players to come up with strategies that were sensitive on corruption issues and affect their business.

“There is a need to change attitudes, core values and continued sensitization on how to prevent and report corruption within our sector,” Chimwaza said. “Corruption erodes investors confidence so that no meaningful investment can take place where corruption has become widespread.”

He noted that corruption compromises the quality or standards of services, hence making them not to be competitive on the international market.

Various reports Indicate that 70% of the national budget goes to the procurement departments, where corruption acts are practised while other official estimates, provided by the ACB, reveal that in the previous years, one third of the public finances was wasted through corruption and fraud.