Directorate To Civic Educate Listed Public Officers On Asset Declaration Process

Christopher Tukula

The office of the Director for Public Officers Asset Declaration says it faced number of problems in 2014 during the Initial Asset Declarations process, as new Government financial year is to begin in July next year, the office is making some early preparations for the Annual Declaration Update Excercise.

The Directorate of Asset Declaration says is geared to intensify civic education of the Asset Declaration Process among listed officers in preparation for the commencement of annual update to the declared assets.

Director of Asset Declaration Christopher Tukula disclosed that the directorate wants to begin the exercise very early starting this year so that listed officers should not have problems when they start to submit forms of updates to their declared assets in July next year.

Tukula says this early preparations follows the hurdles the process of asset declaration faced in 2014 when the officers were for the first time declaring their assets.

Tukula said“We want to improve on the performance of the last time whereby we want to intensify civic education of the asset declaration process. We have lined up series of briefing meetings with public officers and we are going to distribute the blank declaration forms directly to all the listed public officers." 

"Last time people were looking around for the forms own their own. For now we are going to issue them with copy of their declaration and blank declaration forms  and are going to use this for the purpose of giving an update to their declarations in July next year.” explains Tukula

He indicated that the receipt of declarations is an annual exercise under the act and that from 1st July next year the office will be receiving declarations from public officers as an update of what they had disclosed last year.

The Assets Declarations Directors said his office is notifying the listed officers along way before hand in order for the Directorate to have an ample time to extensively engage all public officers on the declaration process and enhance the civic education component of the process prior to the statutorily defined submission dates.

In readiness, the directorate says distribution of Copies of Initial Declaration and Blank Annual Declarations and briefing meetings are among the lined up activities.

The Initial Declaration is statutorily followed by Annual Declaration update return that is filed within thirty days after the commencement of each fiscal year.

He said each officer will be required to submit a duly completed, signed and commissioned Annual Declaration Form as an update return to the Initial Declaration which was already submitted. He said the submission shall commence on Friday, 1st July 2016 to Sunday, 31st July, 2016.  

Currently, 10, 200 (ten thousand two hundred) listed public officers who were serving in various positions when the Act became effective on 1st July 2014 submitted their Initial Declarations between 1st October and 31st December 2014. 

The receipt of Initial Declarations is ongoing for all public officers being appointed or promoted into listed positions.

The office of the Director of Public Officer’s Asset Declaration began its operations in August 2014. The overall objective of the declaration regime is to promote public confidence in the public service. The office was set up following passing of the Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests Act of 2013.

Asset Declaration Directorate Rollout Physical Verification Of Asset

Christopher Tukula

Physical Verification Exercise of initial declarations submitted by listed public officers to begin 14th December, 2015, announces the Office of the Director of Public Officer’s Declarations.

The office also announces launch of full Public Access to Declarations on 14th December 2015 and rolling out of preparatory exercise of collecting updates to initial declarations scheduled for 1st July to 31st July 2016.

Christopher Tukula, Director of Public Officers Declarations disclosed this in Lilongwe 

“We now announce the rolling out of the Physical Verification exercise” announced Tukula

He said every public officer designated for the physical verification shall be notified in writing in advance. He said from that date the directorate starts conducting a risk based and purposively sampled physical verification exercise of initial declarations submitted by public officers. 

“This Physical Verification Exercise will involve comparing the data in the forms with data in various public agencies and private entities to check authenticity of, veracity and accuracy.” Said Tukula

He mentioned that among the public and private institutions to cross check the data are Local Government Council registries, Ministry of Lands and Housing, Malawi Housing Corporation, Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services, Financial Institutions, Malawi Revenue Authority and any other relevant institutions.

“It shall also involve visiting sites for inspection and assessment of declared movable and immovable properties whenever necessary” added Tukula while indicating that this will be done by professionals

The Director of Asset Declaration indicated that this programme is an ongoing for all the declarations. He further mentioned that the directorate has already completed the formal check and desk analysis of all declarations in readiness for the exercise.

The directorate has also urged the general public to alert (whistleblower) the office of any listed public officer violating asset declaration provisions which includes submission of false or inaccurate declaration and that the whistleblower identity will be protected in accordance with relevant provisions of the law governing declaration regime.

Full Public Access to Declarations 

The Directorate says the Public Access to Declaration platform of all listed officers is beginning 14th December 2015 now open to public upon application to Director. Tukula said the directorate has compiled a data base upon which the public access platform has been developed

“So all categories are now under the Public Access Platform.” He said

The platform was initially operational for officers in the Political (party leaders and their treasurer generals) and elected officers (Presidency, 196 Legislatures and 426 Councilors) category since March 2014.

Now the office says starting on 7th December which is Monday next week the office is rolling out Public Access Platform to the rest of the listed officers. In March this year opened up a Public Access Platform where members of public could go and access to declarations of various public officers. It first started with political and elected officers comprising of Presidency, legislatures and Ward councilors.

He asked members of public, media and CSO’s to utilize Public Access Platform so that people can access the declaration and compare what they know about the officers and report (whistleblowing) if there is any discrepancy.

"We are encouraging the public to utilize this platform so that you can inform the directorate of any abuse of the Act by listed public officer.

No information relating to whistleblower shall be admitted in evidence in any administrative, civil or criminal proceedings, and no person shall be obliged or permitted to disclose the name or address of such whistleblower, or state any matter which might lead to his or her discovery" assured Tukula

He also said there will be outreach civic education clinics aimed at sensitise the public role of to support the directorate 

Cashgate: Christopher Tukula Granted Bail

The chief resident Magistrate court in Lilongwe has granted bail to Christopher Tukula a Asset Declaration Director who was arrest by ACB.

Tukula has pleaded not guilty to all two charges that ACB has formerly charged him.

Mr. Paul Mphwiyo and his wife Thandie are still in the same court waiting on their formal charge.

Cashgate: ACB Arrests Hophmally Makande In LL

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has today, 21 October, 2014, arrested Peoples Party official, Mr. Hophmally Makande.

According to ACB statement Mr. Makande has handed himself over to the Bureau in Lilongwe after he heard that ACB officers were looking for him in Blantyre.

Mr. Makande has been arrested for a suspected charge of conspiring to defraud Government contrary to Section 35 of the Corrupt Practices Act.

This arrest ACB says is in relation to the ongoing investigation into cash gate.

According to the bureau "He will be taken to Court after the Bureau has recorded a caution statement from him."

Last week alone ACB arrested Mr. Christopher Tukula, Asset Declaration Director and the former Budget Director Mr. Paul Mphwiyo and his wife Thandie.