Musa Mwenya
Musa Mwenya

ACC ponders creating internal body to investigate own officers

By Kombe Mataka

ACC chairperson Musa Mwenya says the board has resolved to set up a directorate that will have a mandate of investigating the institution’s officers for professional misconduct.


And Mwenye says there is no deterrence against corruption in just recovering money and assets from suspects like in the case of journalist Faith Chisela Musonda.


Featuring on Hot FM’s Red Hot Breakfast Show yesterday, Mwenye said currently there was no mode of vetting ACC officers on corruption and other forms of wrong doing.


“Yesterday we as a commission, I will preempt this, there maybe an announcement later to that effect, but we met as a Commission board and the first thing we did was to resolve that we establish a directorate of internal investigations. Who will investigate me if you have a complaint against me? So, we need a specialised directorate with the ACC whose job is to investigate us. And that was resolved yesterday,’’ he said. ‘’We need to clean up our house. We need to look at the ACC itself and we are committed to it. Yes, of course there could be a few problems with some staff members but the vast majority have worked under very difficult conditions and have been committed to this cause. So, it is not everyone within the ACC that is a problem. We are new: myself and the DG. The temptation is to paint everyone black and say ‘we are the good ones’ but I have given you a history. A lot of the people there have been there for a long time. And I need to make this point, one of the things that in time we will be lobbying from the government is that we incentivise these people.’’


He said no corrupt official would be allowed to work for the Commission.
“I can’t personally risk my integrity by working with corrupt persons in that institution. That is absolutely non-negotiable. Those who have compromised themselves will not stay in the Commission, finished,” said Mwenye. “I served in government. I was there in government for three years. You people in the media saw me calling for a lifestyle audit. I asked for myself to be the first one to be checked. What I had, how I acquired it and to check my tax fillings; and I think if I can talk
about myself and offer myself to be checked what more others? So, we are committed to the fight because we are a poor country.”

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