High Court in Lilongwe has granted an injunction suspending the Ombudsman’s determination that disqualified the acting Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Hilary Chilomba and lawyer Oscar Taulo from consideration for the position of Director General of ACB.
The ruling, delivered on Monday, halts the implementation of Ombudsman Grace Malera’s directive for the Ministry of Justice to restart the recruitment process.
According to Chilomba’s lawyer, Gift Katundu, the ruling is a good development since the Ombudsman’s determination contained errors and could not be enforced. Katundu further said the court’s decision means that the president is now free to proceed with the appointment process of the names that were proposed.
Meanwhile, Taulo reaffirmed his argument that the Ombudsman acted beyond her mandate and applauded the court’s order which he said means that whatever implementations were supposed to be done and whatever recommendations were made by the Ombudsman, have been put aside for now and have been stopped until further order of the court.
The duo sought the judicial review after Ombudsman Grace Malera disqualified them for purportedly falling short on professional and other requirements for the position.
The High Court has scheduled the judicial review hearing for March 14, 2025.
By Yamikan Makanga
