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Malawi Has Slipped Further Backwards On Corruption Fight, Transparency International Report Says

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Malawi has once again scored poorly on the fight against corruption and bribery with latest studies showing the country has slipped from 120 to 123 on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The 2019 CPI, which is conducted by Transparency International, reveals that a majority of countries, including Malawi, are showing little to no improvement in tackling corruption.

The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people. It uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

More than two-thirds of countries score below 50 on the 2019 CPI, with an average score of just 43.

The report says similar to previous years, the data shows that despite some progress, a majority of countries are still failing to tackle public sector corruption effectively.

African Institute for Corporate Citizenship (AICC)-hosted Integrity Platform coordinator, Jeff Kabondo, who presented the CPI report in Lilongwe on Thursday, said Malawi is stuck in corruption such that it would require authorities to rise above petty political rhetoric on corruption fight.

“Generally, Malawi hasn’t performed well. We seem to be stuck. Last year, the country scored 31; this year we have scored 32. On the global ranking, Transparency International has ranked us 123, which means the global perception on our corruption fight is getting worse and worse,” said Kabondo.

He said some of the issues considered when ranking a country are electoral integrity, political financing, political campaign based on misinforming the voters and nepotism in the public service.

Kabondo therefore emphasised the need for Malawi to create robust systems of political financing, electoral integrity, transparency and accountability if the country is to improve its global perception on corruption.

He said keeping big money out of politics is essential to ensuring political decision-making serves the public interest and curbing opportunities for corrupt deals.

“Countries that perform well on the CPI have strong enforcement of campaign finance regulations,” said Kabondo.

AICC chief executive officer Dr Felix Lombe said it is sad that Malawi continues to slip deep into corruption trap.

Lombe appealed to authorities to seriously consider tackling the vice to avoid chasing potential investors.

Malawi: Court Quashes Warrant Which Led to Arrest of Mpinganjira – ACB Says ‘Strange Legal Practice’

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A Magistrate Court in Zomba on Wednesday late night quashed an arrest warrant obtained by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) from Lilongwe Magistrate Court against prominent businessman Thomson Mpinganjira, owner of FDH Bank over allegations he tried to bribe judges hearing a legal challenge to the re-election of President Peter Mutharika.

Mpinganjira released from custody and warrant of arrest has been declared by court as void Matemba: Legally disgusting

Mpinganjira, through his lawyer Frank Mbeta sought a court order quashing the warrant of arrest and the court ruled the warrant was void but does not specify the reason for the decision.

ACB head Reyneck Matemba expressed shock with the way bureau’s warrant of arrest has been rendered void by mid night court session, saying it is legally disgusting.

Thom Mpinganjira

Matemba said he was “speechless” with what he called a very strange legal practice for a court to cancel a warrant of arrest issued by another court and also order release of a suspect in police custody when ACB as a law enforcing agency was acting on a serious complaint.

The court order bears no name of a Magistrate but it is signed and was obtained by lawyers from Mbeta’s legal firm Ritz Law Firm.

“This is legally disgusting. Abuse of court process and it exposes how rotten the judiciary is,” said Matemba.

He said at around 12:05 midnight he was phone by Chipliro Mpinganjira , a deputy minister of defence and one of the lawyers representing the banker. Around the same time the acting Inspector General of police Duncan Mwapasa also phoned about the order which served on police .

Mpinganjira was expected to appear before the court Thursday morning to take plea and be charged following his arrest on Wednesday.

He is a key suspect in the investigations into claims by Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda that bribes had been offered to the five judges presiding over the case.

Social and governance commentator Makhumbo Munthali said the release of Mpinganjira on bail will be received with mixed reaction by the members of the public who expected him to spend sometime in police cell especially considering a background where opposition leaders or critics of government have spent at least a night in policy custody.

“While Mpinganjira has a right to bail, the timing and his connections to the ruling party will raise suspicion by the public that perhaps the whole arrest of Mpinganjira was a well crafted tactic between ACB and some judicial officials to cool down the public pressure that something was being down when in actual fact it was just window dressing,” said Munthali.

“The midnight court bail would also reflect badly on the integrity of the judiciary especially when the timing of such a bail was granted and the sensitivity of the allegations. Already ACB director has not minced words against the judiciary on the matter.

“But then looking at the broader picture whether bail or no bail the very fact that the name of one of the two suspects has been disclosed and that such an individual is closely linked to the ruling party it would reflect badly on one of the accussed parties in the election case,” said Munthali.

The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the election challenge sometime between January 27 and February 3, its spokeswoman Agnes Patemba.

Thom Mpinganjira arrested

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Malawi’s anti-graft body on Wednesday said it had arrested a prominent businessman over allegations he tried to bribe judges hearing a legal challenge to the re-election of President Peter Mutharika.

The arrest comes days before the court is expected to deliver its ruling on the election petition mounted by the opposition.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said it had arrested Thomson Mpinganjira, owner of FDH Bank, following investigations into claims by Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda that bribes had been offered to the five judges presiding over the case.

“Mpinganjira will be taken to court after the ACB has recorded a statement from him,” the agency said in a statement, without further details.

Thom Mpinganjira

Malawi has been embroiled in a battle over the credibility of the May 2019 election.

Mutharika won a second term, but his victory unleashed a six-month-long court case and nationwide demonstrations demanding the head of the electoral commission be fired.

Mutharika beat opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera by 159,000 votes — a lead of just over three percentage points.

Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party and the United Transformation Movement say the poll was marred by fraud.

Allegations this month by Chief Justice Nyirenda that the judges in the petition case had been offered kickbacks sparked fresh fury.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched last week calling for the culprits to be unmasked.

The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on the election challenge sometime between January 27 and February 3, its spokeswoman Agnes Patemba told AFP on Wednesday.

It is the first time presidential election results have been challenged in court since Malawi gained independence from Britain in 1964.

Americas Air Forces Africa helps develop Malawian Air Force

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Airmen from U.S. Air Forces Africa conducted force development training with the Malawian Air Force Jan. 13-17.

“This is a very important partnership for us and right now the force development program is helping us lay the foundation of the Malawian Air Force,” said Malawian Maj. Gen. Andrew Lapken Namathanga, Malawi Air Force commander. “I am very excited because the establishment of the force development program here three years ago has brought a foundation during the transition period for the development of our air force.”

Since 2018 teams with U.S. Air Forces Africa have partnered with the Malawian Air Force to help build, sustain and stand-up an independent air force.

“It is through the program that the Malawian air force airmen are becoming knowledgeable on how an air force functions,” Namathanga said. “Now, our airmen are all equipped with air knowledge and able to execute roles and functions in our air force because of this program.”

MSgt. Brandon Owens, superintendent, 86th Mission Support Group Detachment 1, Air Force Deployment Transition Center, briefs members of the Malawian air force on the U.S. Air Force’s sole third location decompression program at Lilongwe Air Base)

Up until August 2019, the Malawian Air Force was not a separate service within the Malawian defense force.

“This program gives us a chance to share ideas, and how to meet current threats and various challenges in terms of Human Resources,” said Mr. Noel Fachi, program manager, U.S. Air Forces Africa Force Development. “Our program brings our partner nations together to try and solve African problems. By providing frameworks for how to address most of these challenges, we bring partners together to collaborate, share ideas and come up with solutions to answer those challenges.”

One unique element about the force development program is its low cost but its lasting ability to have a huge impact, according to Fachi. He highlighted the fact that because of their program, they are able to conduct engagements with countries in Africa more frequently throughout the year. This leads to creating trusted partnerships with those countries and ultimately leads to greater interoperability with partners across Africa.

“To have an air chief and a deputy air chief sit in every single event when we have been here, day in and day out, it shows you how serious they are,” said Fachi. “They have empowered their airmen.”

The majority of events during the week revolved around the sharing of ideas related to the U.S. Air Force’s Deployment Transition Center, located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The Malawian Air Force routinely deploys to the Democratic Republic of Congo and expressed interest in developing their own deployment transition center for their airmen returning from deployments.

“I think it is imperative to have our own center because currently we do not have one within the Malawian defense force and we have seen the effects of the experiences the troops are facing in the mission area,” says Namathanga.

During the week, members from the U.S. Air Force Deployment Transition Center shared how the U.S. executes their program to help integrate Airmen back from a deployment into their home station environment. They provided the Malawian air force with recommendations on ways they could establish their own program to assist their own airmen who come home from deployments.

MCP Diaspora leader doubts Mutharika ability to woo investors at UK summit 

By Durell Namasani

President Peter Mutharika is in the UK to attend the UK-Africa Investment summit under the invitation of prime minister Boris Johnson. However , critics are already questioning  if the president will be able to strike any meaningful business deals at the summit. One of the leaders of the MCP Diaspora Wing Allan Mandindi has gone on to describe the trip as  one of those shopping trips.

Mandindi who is the Deputy leader of MCP Diaspora Wing said the problem is not the summit itself but the capability of the people on the entourage  and whether they can be able to strike good investment deals for Malawi. “ We have heard or seen this before, it seems most of them just gets excited with the travelling, Sleeping in good hotels, accumulating allowances but fail to cut deals that will be beneficial for Malawi” Mandindi cited the recent Russia/Africa summit where Mutharilka spent time trying to get pictures with Vladmir Putin and came back with no business deals when countries like South Africa and Rwanda signed great  business deals

MCP Diaspora Deputy Leader Allan Mandindi with Party President Dr Lazarus Chakwera

Echoing these remarks , Spokesperson for MCP diaspora Wing Chalo Mvula agreed with Mandindi remarks  that Malawi is not fully utilising these business summits effectively. Chalo Mvula who is also a foreign direct investment expert said failure by the DPP government to make Malawi attractive to investors is something that will put Mutharika at a disadvantage on this summit “Malawi is failing on the very basics of the conditions to attract FDI , our transport and infrastructures are poor, political instability , we have high levels of corruption, electricity problems are still ongoing.  If you compare state of Malawi to other African countries who have also come to woo investors at the summit, then you will easily know that Mutharika has just come here in the UK for a little break” highlighted Mvula.

The summit which has been convened by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will bring together businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa.

The UK hopes the event will strengthen its partnership with African nations and also mobilise new and substantial investment to create sustainable jobs, boost mutual prosperity, boost access to education, improve public services and give young people the opportunity to shape their own future.

Several private sector companies from Malawi are in attendance such as Cape Maclear Initiative and Nalipiri Holiday Resort from the tourism sector and Mchenga Mine from the mining sector, while the Green Belt Initiative, Electricity Generation Company (Egenco), Export Development Fund, Malawi Agricultural Investment and Industrial Corporation and Lilongwe Water Board are among those from the public sector.