Committee speaks on Matemba’s ACB tenure

 Parliamentary Public A ppointme n t s Committee (PAC) chairperson Joy Chitsulo says Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Reyneck Matemba’s alleged failure to investigate and prosecute suspected government officials serving was a huge disappointment.

She, however, admitted that almost all previous DGs faced a similar predicament and only seem to start ticking when there was a change of government, saying there is need to make the bureau fully independent.

In an interview on Tuesday in response to how the committee rates Matemba’s performance at the expiry of his contract, Chitsulo said Matemba has generally done a good job but arresting suspected government officials only after change of government may be misconstrued as political witchhunting.

She said: “Most cases that started some time ago are being concluded now with speed. This shows that some cases were being dragged. We want to see people being investigated and prosecuted while still serving in government. Only then will the lost public trust in ACB be restored.”

Matemba’s three-year contract expired on December 1 2020 and he earlier said he wrote government in August this year that he would not be seeking a renewal.

In a separate interview, Minister of Information Gospel Kazakoconfirmed that Matemba’s contract has expired.

Said the minister: “He [Matemba] wrote the Office of the President and Cabinet stating that he won’t renew his contract. OPC will be responding soon.”

Secretary to the President and Cabinet Zangazanga Chikhosi, however, did not pick our calls when we tried to seek his comment on whether government has already initiated the process.

Matemba has since described his tenure as a “turbulent journey” that was nevertheless worth travelling.

He likened his leadership to a relay race where one takes on the baton, runs with it and passes it to the next runner.

Said Matemba: “I am truly humbled and honoured to have served the people of Malawi as director general of the ACB during one of the most challenging and turbulent periods of our times.”

Speaking during the I n t e rnational An t i – Corruption Day, Matemba attributed the progress in the fight against public and private sector corruption to a conducive operating environment attained under the current Tonse Alliance leadership.

 He said since the Tonse administration took over in June, no one has interfered with ACB operations. He also applauded the government for increasing the ACB funding in the 2020/21 National Budget by K500 million to K5.2 billion after it was reduced by K400 million to K3.2 billion in the 2019/20 Budget.

“As a result, ACB is slowly also regaining its trust and confidence because Malawians have trust in the leadership that guaranteed the independence of the bureau,” Matemba said.

Asked on his next move, the outgoing DG said as a civil servant he is ready to work in any office he is assigned to.

Meanwhile, University of Malawi’s Chancellor College political scientist Mustapha Hussein has observed that the politicisation of the office of the ACB chief was as a result of the holder being appointed by the President.

He described Matemba as someone with a strong character, who did not dance to the tune of the former governing Democratic Progressive Party even in the face of intimidation and threats.

Matemba p r e v i o u s l y mentioned his intention not to renew his contract during a press briefing in Lilongwe in June this year when he addressed concerns over ACB’s perceived failure to prosecute governing political bigwigs.

He said: “I have read on social media that I cannot bite the finger which feeds me. Which finger? I am here on secondment. I have a full time job with the Ministry of Justice.”

Matemba was first appointed by former president Joyce Banda as the bureaus deputy DG in October 2013 at the height of investigations into looting at Capital Hill christened Cashgate. He played a leading role in the prosecution of several Cashgate cases, most of which have not been completed due to what the ACB terms lack of resources.

In November 2017, Matemba was appointed ACB DG by immediate past president Peter Mutharika, replacing Lucas Kondowe whose contract had expired. Before his appointment as ACB DG, Matemba worked at Ministry of Justice as assistant chief legislative counsel, Administrator General and in the Legal Aid Department now called Legal Aid Bureau.