Malawi Police Service has embarked on an exercise to trace any government vehicle that may be illegally possessed by citizens.
This follows the arrest of former president Peter Mutharika’s bodyguard Dabble Dissi for allegedly keeping a Toyota Prado TX belonging to government without authorisation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Nat ional Pol i c e spokesperson James Kadadzera, the police have warned all those in possession (illegally) of government vehicles to surrender them or risk being taken to task.
He further says police have a list of vehicles that belong to government and they are working to recover them.
Reads the statement in part: “The Malawi Police Service through its Anti- Motor Vehicle Theft Unit is following up on all government vehicles currently in custody of illegal persons. It has to be noted that the unit has a list of all government vehicles and is following
up on each of them.”
In an interview yesterday, National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Mos e s Mkandawire, who is also Livingstonia Synod’s Church and Society programme director, said the police has taken the right approach in asking people to voluntarily surrender the vehicles.
He said that will give people a window to return the vehicles and those that do not comply will have themselves to blame if they are brought to book.
Said Mkandawire: “The alliance will support the move in tracing those
that are keeping the vehicles illegally. We have no problem with those that acquired them legally. As long as they can prove how they acquired them.
“But for those that acquired them illegally, we will name and shame those who are involved and the police will also prosecute them.”
He said the exercise should be a lesson to every Malawian that public resources need not be abused.
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