Gang storms ACB head offices
The bureau and the National Audit Office (NAO) are currently investigating the loss of K400 million at the Accountant General’s office which also implicates the Police and Army.
ACB director Alex Nampota in an e-mailed response to a questionnaire said that his officers are facing threats from gangs, saying that he has since commissioned a separate investigation into possible obstruction of ACB officers in an investigation.
“I would confirm that people who came in unregistered motor vehicle entered the ACB and threatened bureau officers. They even threatened to burn ACB offices. They did not take long at the ACB. They disappeared,†Nampota said.
He said the matter has since been reported to Blantyre Police.
“We are also ourselves carrying out parallel investigations in connection with an offence of obstructing ACB officers contrary to provisions of Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices Act in respect of the persons that may have been involved,†he said.
Nampota said the bureau has reached an advanced stage in the investigation and that they intend to finish the case despite the threats.
So far, four people have been arrested in connection with the missing money.
The first to be arrested were two assistant accountants at Accountant General’s office after they were found with a bank K404 million in an account. The police also arrested their own head of finance and an officer at Malswitch who are currently on bail.
The K400 million scam, according to officers close to the investigation, is in excess of K5 billion ($30m) and involves officers in the Malawi Army, Malawi Police and others in Treasury.
Sources say the scam involves top officials in government and that they are trying everything possible to erase all evidence connecting to them.
On Thursday this week National Audit offices (NAO) in Lilongwe were broken into and three computers were stolen.
NAO public relations officer Thomas Chafunya confirmed the incident but said the files the thieves stole were not that important.
