17 Feb 2020

The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) says it has never investigated and is not investigating its director general, Brigadier Joseph Mathambo, nor is it investigating Brigadier Peter Magosi of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS).

 In a news release, DCEC expresses concern about recent media reports that it says cast aspersions on its director general and the directorate as a whole.

The release mentions articles published in the February 08-14 Weekend Post issue headlined; ‘Magosi ‘technically’ on suspension,’ which was a re-publication of an article carried by the same paper in its November 16-20 issue and carried by the Mmegi newspaper of February 7.

It says the DCEC has internal safeguards in place to ensure a director general may not open and close investigations at his own instance.

 An independent board, made up of heads of DCEC divisions, the release says, independently makes decisions on classification of matters reported to the directorate and on closure of case files.

As such, the director general would not and cannot operate in isolation to the extent that he undermines investigations, it says. It further explains that the Corruption and Economic Crime Act gives the DCEC director general powers to make investigation decisions without influence or authority from any external body.

DCEC, it says, has an open door policy through which any employee has access to the director general’s office for any matter affecting its operations.

Therefore, it says, it would be unfortunate should allegations that DCEC officers have written a complaint letter be true.

It says DCEC has always been open to media enquiries and fully appreciates the role of the media as a watchdog over government institutions.

The directorate urges media houses to balance their articles by giving the subjects of their stories an opportunity to state their side before going for print as per the dictates of ethical journalism.ENDs