The scandalous Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma who has never won any court case since her appointment, has been caught in an allowance scam where she is getting paid heft sums for accommodation yet she stays in a government house.
This is a direct breach of the integrity code of her job. According to sources, Chizuma resides in an upmarket estate in Lilongwe in one of the 14 Presidential villas along the Presidential Drive.
The source further revealed that the house belongs to Malawi Government and she does not pay rentals, yet since she was appointed ACB DG she has been drawing monthly allowance for housing.
“When she assumed office she begged to be housed at the villas for security purposes, a request that was granted. However, she was supposed to stop receiving her housing allowance knowing fully well that government is already taking care of her accommodation.
“It is sad that she continues to feign ignorance on an issue that is very straightforward. And it is surprising that her office requires integrity and after realizing this, Chizuma was supposed to raise a red flag and alert the Bureau on the anomaly,” added the source.
The inside source said her conduct is surprising especially because she has been in the forefront speaking against corruption in society and championing austerity with government coffers.
“You may remember that the director has time and again gone to Parliament to complain of limited funding that is channeled to the bureau. With that in mind, it is surprising why she has chosen to be getting from the bureau what she is not entitled to. What she is doing is purely wastage of government resources and pure theft,” said the source.
A commentator has said if this is true, Chizuma’s conduct is an abuse of office because she is getting double benefits for one line of expenditure.
“This is purely against the dictates of the fight against corruption, corporate governance and good practice,” added the commentator.
The commentator said if Chizuma had integrity she was supposed to inform the human resources department in writing of the anomaly and further ask for proper corrections to take place.
“Failure to do so means she is complicit in this wrongdoing and can be taken to task both administratively and legally,” he said.
The 14 Presidential villas were constructed during Bingu wa Mutharika’s first term but opened in 2015 to house high-level delegates during their stay in Malawi. Since then the estate has hosted heads of state and government and top dignitaries from across the globe.
