CCJP for probe into ACB staff’s murder

Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP) has warned that last week’s murder of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director of corporate affairs Issa Njauju could have negative implications in the fight against graft in the country.

CCJP said in a statement signed by its national secretary Chris Chisoni the development sends fear among key agencies fighting corruption and delivering justice.

Reads the CCJP statement in part: “Such brutal acts cannot be allowed to affect the anti-corruption initiatives currently underway in response to Cashgate.”

The commission has since appealed to police, government, the public, the media, donor community and the courts to work together to ensure truth is established.

“Let us not get discouraged from our commitment to fight corruption and graft in Malawi as our continued efforts are needed now more than ever to ensure good governance and the future security of our country,” said the statement.

Njaunju was found dead on July 4 2015 with his body half-buried near Lilongwe River and his Toyota Hilux double-cabin vehicle burnt to ashes behind the presidential villas in Lilongwe.

Yesterday, ACB said it was disturbed by the death as Njauju was not involved in any investigations.

“He [Njauju] was not involved in any investigations which could have made him a target for some people that are being investigated. He was in charge of finance, human resource, administration and internal audit,” said ACB deputy director general Reyneck Matemba in an interview.

However, Matemba said the truth would come out after police complete their investigations.

Police yesterday said no arrests have so far been made and that investigations were still in progress.

In an interview, Lilongwe Police Station spokesperson Ramsey Mshani said: “We are still looking into why he [Njauju] was shot. So far we can confirm nothing. The assassins have not been identified either.”

Njaunju went missing on Thursday after knocking off from work and the office reported to police his disappearance on Friday.

Postmortem results showed that he was shot twice in the neck and chest before he was buried near Lilongwe River.

Njauju, 49, came from Mangochi and was laid to rest on Saturday in Lilongwe.

ACB is investigating a number of high-profile cases that include Cashgate where billions of kwacha were stolen from government.

Some people implicated in the theft have been convicted while others are still answering cases in court.