The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has asked President Lazarus Chakwera to suspend State House staff implicated in the Crossroads Hotel scandal in order to pave way for investigations.
The Scandal involves the ‘suspicious’ payment MK12.5 Million Hotel bill from State House for accommodation for four foreign nationals, which state House Press Officer Brian Banda described as ‘fake’ news’ while hotel management acknowledged to have received the payment.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, CDEDI Executive Director, Sylvester Namiwa said time has come for President Chakwera to ‘walk the talk’ on his pledge to fight corruption.
“We appealing to President Lazarus Chakwera to exonerate himself on his pledge to fight against corruption at all levels by suspending State House officers that have been implicated in the Crossroads Hotel Bills saga,” said Namiwa
The statement further said: “Should Chakwera remain mum on this incident, Malawians will then construe that his stance on the fight against corruption in the country is just some political rhetoric, when in actual sense it is political persecution since his administration is only targeting those connected to the immediate past ruling party,”
Those implicated in the scandal include State house Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamganga and the Director of Finance Gideon Kumbalu.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has launched an investigation into the matter following public out-cry.
CDEDI is a non-partisan, nongovernmental organization that was established in a quest to attain a well-informed and organized citizenry that can ably demand their social and economic rights at the same time hold duty bearers accountable for their actions
