ATTEMPTS TO BRIBE AND CORRUPT JUDGES IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS CASE

PREAMBLE

The Council for NGOs in Malawi (CONGOMA);

  • as an umbrella body of all NGOs in Malawi with the mandate to represent the collective interests and concerns of NGOs;
  • with zero tolerance policy against corruption and with high commitments for national integrity, transparency and accountability;

has learnt with deep shock the unsettling revelations that some people attempted to bribe and corrupt the Judges in the 21 May 2019 Presidential Elections case being heard at The Constitutional Court.

  1. OUR POSITION

The position of CONGOMA on these revelations is to condemn the bribery and corruption attempts on the Judges in strongest terms possible. It is an evil act orchestrated by fear, selfishness and a sign of desperation for power. It is a scheme of corrupted minds that would want to subvert justice, democracy and freedom of the voter and against rule of law which are paramount in attaining a democratic state. The culprits once found should be punished severely within the law as a deterrent to others.

  1. OUR COMMENDATION

CONGOMA commends;

  1. The five Judges hearing the case for their seen integrity and wisdom to come out in the open and complain on the attempted corrupt intentions of these people. Every Malawian should borrow a leaf from this rare conduct displayed by the five Judges in the case.
  2. The Chief Justice for speedily notifying Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for the law to take its course. This should give confidence to Malawians that our Judiciary is and should be independent of external influences no matter who and where from and that this needs support from well meaning Malawians.
  3. The Director General of the ACB for publicly coming out to acknowledge the complaint of attempted bribery and corruption. This public transparency is what will help the general public build trust and confidence in the ACB and is good moving forward.
  4. The media (both print and electronic) for spreading the attempted bribery and corruption news to Malawians and beyond. We need a strong, independent and professional media for our democracy to thrive.
  5. OUR DEMANDS

CONGOMA demands that;

  1. The ACB should act expeditiously within the law and effect arrests accordingly
  2. The ACB should maintain the public transparency they have started on this issue to sustain public trust by providing requisite and regular public updates.
  3. Once facts are concluded, the attempted bribery case should be speedily tried in Court within the law, wishfully even before judgment on the Presidential Elections case is out.
  4. CONCLUSION

CONGOMA would like to appeal to all Malawians that they should remain calm but vigilant against such attempts of corrupt practices as the ACB and other relevant authorities handle the matter. The incident is clear testimony that no one is safe from being bribed and that the main weapon against it remains integrity as the five Judges and the Judiciary have shown.

 

Signed

 

Steven Duwa

CHAIRPERSON

16 January 2020

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