Mzuzu, February 22: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has said it will not relent in its effort to ensure that a special corrupt practices court is established in the country.
The Bureau’s Senior Public Relations Officer, Egrita Ndala, said this in Kasungu on Friday during a day- long media training on corruption with journalists from the Northern Region based Nyika Media Club.
“Establishment of this special court will not only help us reduce the backload of cases pending court appearance, but will also reduce the costs that the bureau incurs particularly due to delay in cases being settled,” she said.
According to Ndala, besides monetary costs that come due to transfer of some prosecutors or witnesses to places away from the presiding courts, delay in administering the cases has led to the bureau losing some cases after a witness dies.
“Since corruption cases fight in our courts for space just like all other criminal cases, most corruption cases stall for months or even years as a result, we lose witnesses to cases, and it is very costly on our side,” she said.
She, however, stated that the bureau is doing everything in its power to ensure that cases are brought into court as fast as possible so that concerned parties together with the general public get a clear conscience out of the cases.
Among other things that cropped out of the media training was a plea by the ACB to journalists, calling on them to be patient with the bureau regarding giving out of information.
She said ACB sometimes withhold particular information when required by the media so that investigation on a particular case is not jeopardized.
Speaking on behalf of Nyika Media Club chairperson, Station Manager for Voice of Livingstonia Radio, Jessie Puwapuwa, commended efforts being made by ACB to train media practitioners on how to report corruption issues.
Puwapuwa then appealed to media practitioners to take such trainings serious by making use of skills gained in the training.
