/ 14 November 2007

Lawyer is Malawi’s new chief of prosecutions

Malawi, which is severely affected by corruption, has appointed a seasoned anti-graft lawyer as its new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), a parliamentary spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson of Parliament’s public appointments committee (PAC) said that Alexious Nampota has been confirmed as the new DPP, after two previous directors were fired by President Bingu wa Mutharika over corruption charges.

The new director said fighting corruption remains a priority for the PAC.

”The interview went very well. There was good spirit and the committee is interested to fight corruption; they do not want Malawi to be at the bottom in the fight against corruption,” he was quoted as saying in the Daily Times.

Mutharika appointed Nampota in October to replace police commissioner Tumalisye Ndovi, who was fired after a short stint for pocketing two salaries.

Even though Mutharika, who leads a minority government, has powers to appoint anybody to the positions of the DPP, police inspector general and Law Commission, the opposition-dominated PAC has the constitutional mandate finally to endorse or reject the appointments.

Nampota previously held the position of deputy director of the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau. — Sapa-AFP