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Parliamentary Committee on Public Appointments and Declaration of Assets will meet this Friday to scrutinise the Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau Gustave Kaliwo.
Clerk of Parliament, Roosevelt Gondwe confirmed on Monday that the funds are with Parliament.
“Treasury funded the committee over the weekend and it is meeting this Friday. The main business is that of confirming the Director of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB),” he said.
Gondwe said it was sad that the story of the ACB director was all over the press and radio stations when there were other issues to talk about. He said the meeting will put to rest all these and make the ACB director move on with his work.
Chair of the committee Kate Kainja also said she got communication that the meeting will be Friday. She could not say more because she claimed she was in the bank.
But Kainja was quoted in Nation Online of January 4 that money was needed for transport and accommodation for members of the committee.
“We are 19 members from all over Malawi and in order to meet we have to spend on transport to Lilongwe and accommodation. All this needs money,” she said.
The High Court ruled last month that the ACB director has no powers to issue restriction orders, prosecute or appeal on any matter because the Public Appointments Committee (Pac) has not yet confirmed him as director of the bureau.
Justice Frank Kapanda made his ruling when he dismissed an appeal by the anti-graft body to have Television Malawi (TVM) Director General Rodrick Mulonya answer to allegations of disobeying a restriction notice.
“This appeal is not sustainable. It is dismissed on the preliminaries. It is not even necessary to go into merits,” said Kapanda.
The press has recently questioned why Malawi Electoral Commission chair Justice Anastazia Msosa and Police Inspector general of Police are working without confirmation.
On Nangwale, Gondwe referred to Section 154 (2) of the Constitution which says: “The Inspector General of Police shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the National Assembly by a majority of the members present and voting but the Public Appointments Committee may at any time inquire as to the competence of the person so appointed.”
Section 75 of the same document says the chairperson of MEC shall be a judge nominated in that behalf by the Judicial Service Commission and confirmed by the President.
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