The launch in Lilongwe
* Can a car — and one car for that matter — that is lebelled ‘ACB Surveillance Unit’ fight corruption?
* Careless way of surveillance, this will let the corrupt guys know when they’re coming — it’s another corruption influencer in town
* How much did this launch cost? Was it necessary for people to leave their work posts and attend the launch of a single landcruiser? Was this justifiable?
By Duncan Mlanjira
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), under acting Director General Gabriel Chembezi, has launched a vehicle for its Surveillance Unit, which Chembezi maintains will strengthen its fight against corruption in the country.
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But the rationale behind this decision has been questioned by deeper thinkers since the branded Surveillance Unit vehicle is installed with law enforcement amber lights and sirens, observing that this is a “careless way of surveillance”, which might alert the targeted corrupt officials to know when they are approaching.
A report by MBCDigital quotes Chembezi saying this first-of-its-kind surveillance vehicle will be used in combating crime in various corruption hot spots in government institutions and to boost transparency and accountability in the country.
He emphasised that the surveillance vehicle is a key tool in their mission to improve service delivery in cleaning up governance, adding that the ACB is committed towards devising innovative ways of dealing with corruption.
Without disclosing the cost of the vehicle and at whose expense — as well as the type of the paraphernalia that is installed in the vehicle to help the Bureau in tracking and nabbing such kind of corrupt officials — the acting Director General appealed for more support so that the body continues to serve Malawians better.
The development, as posted by MBCDigital on Facebook, attracted some questions with Tchinga Mzengereza asking if a car — and one car for that matter — that is lebelled ‘ACB Suveillance Unit’ can indeed fight corruption?
Others indicated that if the ACB has to lead by example, it has to indicate “how much the launch of the vehicle cost? And was it necessary for people to leave their work posts and attend the launch of a single landcruiser? Was this justifiable?”
“It’s another corruption influencer in town,” said one observer, while Penston Kilembe, in noticing that this is a “careless way of surveillance”, opined that “corruption is a process with systems” — hinting that the vice has its own alert-monitoring systems against law enforcement.
The responses to the development were of the view that surveillance systems are not publicly launched “so that all the thieves can see it” since they are bound to devise innovative means to counter additional law enforcement scrutiny.
Most cases that the ACB investigates are generated from tips from the public as well as red flags raised from government agencies, as is the case that ACB’s spokesperson Jacqueline Ngongonda posted on the graft busting body’s official Facebook account — that immigration officer Lawrent Kagona has been arrested for allegedly soliciting MK300,000 from a passport applicant to fast-track the production of the travel document.
In the statement, Ngongonda indicated that the arrest follows investigations into corruption allegations at the Department of Immigration & Citizenship Services in Lilongwe where it was established that Kagona allegedly received MK150,000 in cash and another MK150,000 through Airtel Money, despite the official passport processing fee being MK50,000.
Ngongonda says the suspect is expected to be interviewed under caution before being taken to court to face charges of his conduct which is contrary to section 24(1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.
