By Cathy Maulidi:
Thieves broke into the Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s office in the wee hours of Monday, when they went away with a computer that belongs to commission secretary Irene Chikapa.
The office is situated at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) campus.
Chikapa’s office is the one handling complaints against judicial officers after, in October this year, it launched investigations into corruption allegations involving judicial officers.
A source within the office confided in us that they discovered that the office had been broken into and a computer stolen when they reported for work Monday morning.
The source further told The Daily Times that the thieves also broke into the office of CSC Chairperson Arthur Chibwana office and the CSC deputy director’s office.
“What is surprising is that they did not steal anything in offices that belong to CSC but ransacked the office of the secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, scattering documents and making off with a laptop, sparking concerns that they were searching for specific files,” the source said.
When contacted, JSC Secretary Chikapa confirmed the development.
She said they discovered that something untoward had happened when they went to work on Monday morning and immediately reported the issue to police.
“Yes, we discovered the incident in the morning and called the police, who visited the scene and are now investigating the matter,” she said.
When asked about her stolen laptop and what it means to complaints against judges, Chikapa said there was no need to worry.
“People should not worry about their complaints as the laptop did not contain any serious information. This is my official laptop, which I gave to my secretary to be using as backup.
“So, even if the laptop contained complaints against judges, we could have just asked the complainants to resubmit [complaints] but let me assure everyone that there is no crucial information in the laptop which the thieves have stolen.”
Chikapa said officers were still checking to see if there is any important document that has been stolen.
On his part, Malawi Law Society President Patrick Mpaka described the incident as unfortunate and called on JSC to come out and explain to Malawians about the incident.
“Transparency is crucial: The Judicial Service Commission owes the public a detailed account of the theft incident, its impact on complaints handling and measures taken to prevent future breaches,” Mpaka said.
Human rights lawyer Alexious Kamangila, who recently alleged that there was corruption in the Judiciary, said he was not surprised with the development.
“The break-in at the Judicial Service Commission is a textbook example of a corrupt system attempting to destroy evidence. I’ve long expressed concerns about trusting the JSC with sensitive information, and now my fears are confirmed.
“In Malawi, it’s either a fire or they break into a building so as to destroy evidence. But they should know that the evidence is indestructible,” Kamangila said.
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