PAC summons prisons’ chief
The Public Appointments Committee of Parliament (PAC) has summoned Chief Commissioner for Prisons Wandika Phiri to explain her failure to curb mobile money fraud cases originating from the country’s prison facilities.
In an interview yesterday, PAC chairperson Joyce Chitsulo said the prisons’ chief is scheduled to appear before her committee in Lilongwe today to respond to the query pursuant to Section 166 (1) of the Constitution.
Chitsulo said she could not divulge further details on the matter, but the hearing will be in relation to mobile money theft by prisoners who smuggle mobile phones into the police cells and use them to commit crimes.
A letter The Nation has seen, shows that the committee is acting on information it received that the country’s mobile phone network operators were failing to curb the crime because major perpetrators are prisoners largely from Zomba Maximum Security Prison.
Reads the letter in part: “My committee has received information from its sister committee, the Committee on Media, Information and Communi cat ions… The committee on media established that prisoners possessed mobile phones and were able to make phone calls and dupe unsuspecting individuals of their mobile money.
“In the light of this information, my committee is concerned about your ability to lead the Prison Service given your apparent inability to control the smuggling in of mobile phones into a maximum-security prison. My committee, therefore, wishes to hear your side of the story on this matter.”
The summons reference number NA/PC/11 dated October 13 2021 signed by Chitsulo, states that Phiri as head of the prison service needs to explain why she is unable to stop or check the smuggling of mobile phone handsets into prisons, particularly Zomba Maximum Security Prison.
The committee further requested the commissioner to make a written submission to the Office of the Clerk of Parliament on whether she was aware that prisoners were smuggling the handsets into the prisons.
It also wanted to know what the commissioner had done to address the problem if she was aware and why she was unable to stop the smuggling in of mobile phones.
Phiri was not available yesterday when contacted as both our calls and message went unanswered.
But executive director for Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (Chreaa) Victor Mhango said the summoning would give Malawi Prisons a chance to explain “the complicated issue” affecting many people.
He said: “The smuggling of mobile phones into prisons is unfortunate. It is something that stakeholders in the telecommunications industry should be held responsible.“
Two months ago, mobile network providers Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) told the Parliamentary Committee on Media, Information and Communication that about 91 percent of mobile money fraud cases originate from Zomba Maximum Security Prison.
So far, a number of inmates have been convicted for stealing money from mobile money users.
