Caucus wants stiff action on charcoal traffickers
The Malawi Parliamentary Conservation Caucus (MPCC) has demanded that government officials involved in illegal charcoal trafficking, as exposed by our sister newspaper Weekend Nation, should be prosecuted.
Addressing a press briefing in Lilongwe on Thursday to react to the Weekend Nation investigation published on January 30 2021, MPCC co-chairperson Werani Chilenga said the newspaper’s investigation showed that Malawi was losing the fight against deforestation.
He said: “Let us not hear of slapped wrists, demotions, or sideward moves but of prosecutions under the full weight of the law.
“Organised crime networks are orchestrating illicit charcoal trade, and the greedy and corrupt officials who are complicit in this activity must be held to account. The public officers that are involved must serve sentences and lose their jobs.”
Chilenga expressed concern over increased charcoal production and selling despite existing laws and human capacity to tackle the malpractice.
In his response, Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources director of forestry Clement Chilima, who was present at the briefing, said the ministry is already working on tracing the officers that were bribed during the investigation.
He said: “Apart from reporting the issue to the Anti-Corruption Bureau [ACB], we have instituted our own investigation. Our Criminal Investigation Unit officers have today travelled to the Southern Region to investigate the matter.
“Once the names have been established, we are going to interdict those that were involved.”
The Weekend Nation article, titled Our Sting, uncovered how government organs such as the Malawi Police Service, Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources, Department of Road Traffic and Safety Services and Malawi Revenue Authority are propelling charcoal trade in the country.
Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources Nancy Tembo later issued a statement saying the ministry had engaged the ACB to investigate each of the charges of corruption identified through the investigative story.
“As a ministry, we are committed to helping Malawi achieve development goals. In order to reach these goals, we must addresses corruption everywhere and at all levels,” she stated.
Tembo also said the ministry takes the accusations seriously and will fully support the investigation in any was deemed appropriate by the ACB.
