   |
|
afrol.com/AENS, 26 January - Malawi police are refusing to arrest 11 parliamentarians and 44 other corruption suspects implicated in a US$ 2,5 million tender scam that rocked President Bakili Muluzi's government last year. Police spokesman Oliver Soko said on Friday police would not arrest anyone until Public Prosecutions Director Farhad Assani agreed to hand over his original investigation dockets on the suspects, as required by law. The syndicate allegedly systematically defrauded government of US$ 2,5 million by awarding construction contracts to non-existent companies, or companies owned and operated by friends and family. The scandal sparked an international outcry and prompted President Muluzi to axe three cabinet ministers named in an interim investigation report. One of the ministers, Brown Mpinganjira, was however acquitted this month on charges of accepting a bribe in return for approving tenders while he was education minister in 1998. Mpinganjira's name does not appear in the photocopied dockets handed to police last week. The dockets contain evidence collected by Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Auditor General and Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee. Soko said on Friday that police were required by law to present the original investigation dockets and all related evidence to court immediately after arresting suspects. Assani expressed concern, however, that evidence would be lost or stolen once handed to police. "We decided to only give police photocopies as a safeguard against disaster. Police have previously lost exhibits and delayed justice because investigations had to be repeated," said Assani. Assani meanwhile also confirmed that the Anti-Corruption Bureau would establish an internal legal unit and hire additional forensic investigators in March following public criticism about the length of time it took to investigate cases. The bureau currently has only two senior investigators, 12 junior investigators and one lawyer, Alexius Nampota, who also doubles as its deputy director. Bureau director Gilton Chiwaula said on Friday that his Lilongwe office received 467 complaints, while the bureau's Blantyre office received 192 complaints between July and December 2000. Resource and budget constraints meant that only two cases were investigated in both of the offices. Chiwaula said the bureau needed at least 34 senior investigators to handle its current work load. By Brian Ligomeka, African Eye News Service (AENS)
|
