More Twists and Turns In Chizuma’s Arrest

The presidency and the state machinery were on Tuesday subjected to a big time embarrassment when the nation angrily responded to the reports from various news outlets  confirming the arrest of the Anti-Corruption Bureau chief, Martha Chizuma.

Earlier in the day the Malawi Police Service issued a statement confirming the arrest of Chizuma stating that she had already been formerly charged at Namitete Police Station having been picked in the wee hours on a complaint lodged by the country’s Director of Public Prosecution, Steve Kayuni.

“Ms Chizuma has since been formerly charged with making use of speech capable of prejudicing a person against a party to judicial proceedings which is contrary to section 113(1)(b) of the Penal Code,” reads the press release in part communicated by National Police Publicist, Inspector Kalaya.

However, drama unfolded when a majority of Malawians showed solidarity behind the Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General through various media platforms condemning government for trying to block the wheels of justice in the fight against graft.

Several Civil Society Organizations, opposition members of Parliament whose deliberations in the August house abruptly halted three times in the morning nand the donor community joined the band wagon of those calling for an immediate unconditional release of the ACB Director General.

Later in the day the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Titus told parliament that the Director of Public Prosecution Steve Kayuni has been suspended with immediate effect pending a further inquiry over the arrest of Martha Chizuma.

According to Mvalo, the state President Lazarus Macarthy Chakwera has instituted a special inquiry committee to look into the matter stating that the arrest was not known even by the responsible minister stating that the act is believed to be a result of a conspiracy.

In a dramatic twist of events, the Information minister who is also government spokesperson, Gospel Kazako while acknowledging media reports that police nabbed the ACB Director General laboured to distance the president of any knowledge about the arrest.

“As government under the leadership of His Excellency Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera we are concerned by the lack of information from the Malawi Police Service regarding the reasons why and the manner in which the arrest was effected and we call upon the police to inform the nation on these matters within the course of the day,” reads the government statement.

In the afternoon, the United States Envoy to Malawi, David Young, invited the ACB Director General, Martha Chizuma, after her release from police custody.

In a post on the US embassy Facebook page, the embassy says: “Ambassador Young met with the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma this afternoon to convey our solidarity with her and the ACB and our support for Malawi’s ongoing fight against corruption”.

There were a lot more messages of solidarity with Chizuma pouring through various media platforms as parliament also suspended all business to deliberate developments around the arrest of Martha Chizuma.

However, though government distanced itself from Chizuma’s arrest some social media whistle blowers revealed that President Chakwera was aware that Chizuma would be arrested Tuesday morning as a way of distracting her execution of the arrest of four cabinet ministers, the state house Director, two High Court Judges and the Secretary to the President and Cabinet.

The whistle blowers further stated whatever that has happened is a face saver following the pressure from the donor community saying Chakwera’s machinery devised a plan to distance him from the arrest of Chizuma, alleging he was not aware and was bypassed.

Some sources also argued that Chizuma cannot be arrested without the Inspector General briefing the President being ignorant as Commander in Chief.

According to the ACB diary, Chizuma was scheduled to meet the state President yesterday (Tuesday) to brief him of the arrest of his cabinet ministers and questioning some of his family members by the Bureau.