Citizen Alliance challenges Govt to recruit Permanent DG at ACB

Malawi Exclusive

Citizen Alliance has questioned the continued appointment of Gabriel Chembezi as Acting Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), arguing that his leadership raises important questions about institutional governance, accountability and public confidence.

In a press statement issued on 24 August, Citizen Alliance Executive Director Baxton Nkhoma said the concern follows the failure of the latest recruitment process to identify a candidate who met the required threshold for appointment as the ACB’s substantive Director General.

According to the organisation, the current Acting Director General, Chembezi, was among those who did not meet the threshold established during the recruitment process.

“This is not a personal attack. It is a legitimate question of institutional governance, accountability and public confidence,” reads part of the statement.

Citizen Alliance acknowledges that Government has indicated that Chembezi’s continued acting appointment is permissible under the existing legal framework.

However, the organisation argues that legality alone should not settle the matter.

The central issue, it says is whether an extended acting arrangement is institutionally appropriate for an organisation as important as the ACB.

“The Anti-Corruption Bureau has a critical role in Malawi’s fight against corruption, including investigating and preventing corruption and supporting enforcement of the country’s anti-corruption laws. Given this mandate, we argue that the institution’s leadership must command not only legal authority, but also professional credibility and public confidence,” the statement further said.

The organisation is particularly concerned that an arrangement initially intended to be temporary has continued for an extended period.

While acting appointments can be necessary to maintain institutional continuity, Citizen Alliance says they should not effectively replace substantive leadership indefinitely especially at the country’s principal anti-corruption institution.

With the latest recruitment exercise failing to produce a candidate who met the required threshold, Citizen Alliance is calling on Government to restart the process.

The organisation wants the new recruitment exercise to be transparent, merit-based and sufficiently independent to reassure Malawians that the next substantive Director General will be selected on the basis of competence rather than other considerations.

Citizen Alliance also wants Government to establish a clearly defined and reasonable timeframe for completing the recruitment process and appointing the successful candidate.

According to the organisation, prolonged uncertainty over the ACB’s substantive leadership risks undermining confidence in an institution whose credibility is central to Malawi’s efforts to combat corruption.

Citizen Alliance has therefore called upon Government to Commence without unnecessary delay a fresh and credible recruitment process for the substantive Director General of the ACB, Ensure that the process is based on clearly defined criteria of competence, integrity, experience and leadership, Ensure that the recruitment process is transparent, merit-based and sufficiently independent to command public confidence as well as Provide a clear and reasonable timeframe for concluding the recruitment process and appointing the successful candidate.