[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":311},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-malawian-financial-investigators-sharpen-their-interviewing-skills-in-a-mock-procurement-case-1036":3,"news-malawian-financial-investigators-sharpen-their-interviewing-skills-in-a-mock-procurement-case-1036-similar":63,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":306},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":15,"activity":16,"nid":18,"topics":19,"activities":20,"programme":21,"area":21,"websites":22,"language":21,"image":24,"translation_of":21,"countries":35,"tags":58,"authors":59,"images":60,"translations":61,"content":62},10468,"published","2024-08-13T22:02:00.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:59.000Z","Malawian financial investigators sharpen their interviewing skills in a mock procurement case","News","Financial investigators in Malawi have gained – and practised in mock interviews as part of a simulated investigation – vital skills in obtaining financial information from individuals involved in corruption cases.\n\nDelivered by the [training team](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) of the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery, the intensive workshop took place in Lilongwe from 25-29 November 2019. Among the 12 participants were investigators from the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Malawi Police Service, plus representatives of the Malawi Revenue Authority and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.\n\n### Theory...\n\nAlthough the trainers did not advocate one specific interviewing model, the participants were exposed to the following investigative interviewing skills:\n\n*   the _PEACE_ model, a well-known investigative interviewing approach based on cooperation and rapport;\n*   the _cognitive interview_ technique, which aims to help crime scene witnesses to recreate a mental picture of the events and give a detailed account;\n*   the _conversation management_ technique, for use on suspects and unwilling interviews.\n\nThe theoretical section of the workshop also covered the specificities of financial interviewing, including “cash on hand” and open-ended questions.\n\n### ...and practice\n\nThe participants then conducted interviews against the backdrop of a hypothetical corruption and money laundering case. Customised to the Malawian environment and laws, the case involved a public procurement project to build 12 rural hospitals. The three ICAR trainers acted the part of the interviewees, including a variety of witnesses and suspects.\n\nFollowing the interviews, it was gratifying to see that the participants could assemble the information gathered during the interviews into an accurate description of the case. If the case had been in real life, the information they gathered during the interviews would eventually serve to prove the relevant criminal and money laundering offences.\n\n### Wider context\n\nICAR’s training team is no stranger to Malawi, having delivered two five-day workshops on [Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Ficar-training-malawi-supports-anti-corruption-efforts) and a third on [Mutual Legal Assistance and the Misuse of Offshore Structures](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawian-justice-practitioners-build-understanding-mla-and-offshore-structures-and-each-other) in the last two years.\n\nThese capacity building interventions support the Basel Institute’s long-term [technical assistance programme in Malawi,](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Four-approach) in the context of the UK Department for International Development’s Tackling Serious Organised Corruption (TSOC) initiative.\n\nA similar training workshop on Interviewing Skills for Financial Investigators was [delivered in Tanzania](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fboosting-interviewing-skills-financial-investigations-tanzania) last month – with the practical exercises customised to the Tanzanian context and laws – amid growing recognition by anti-corruption authorities of the value of boosting the interviewing skills of investigators.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   See the full description of ICAR’s training programme on [Interviewing Skills for Financial Investigators](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes\u002Finterviewing-skills-financial-investigators). Note that this workshop, like all ICAR training programmes, is delivered only to government authorities in the Basel Institute’s partner countries.\n*   Download the latest [ICAR training brochure](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2019-02\u002FICAR_Training_Programmes_2017.pdf).\n*   Discover ICAR’s unique training methodology in this [quick guide to effective training in financial investigations](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fphyllis-atkinsons-quick-guide-effective-training-financial-investigations) by our Head of Training ICAR, Phyllis Atkinson.","2019-12-10",[14],"","malawian-financial-investigators-sharpen-their-interviewing-skills-in-a-mock-procurement-case-1036",[17],"Training",1036,[],[17],null,[23],"Main page",{"id":25,"storage":26,"filename_disk":27,"filename_download":28,"title":9,"type":29,"created_on":30,"modified_on":30,"charset":21,"filesize":31,"width":32,"height":33,"duration":21,"embed":21,"description":21,"location":21,"tags":21,"metadata":34,"focal_point_x":21,"focal_point_y":21,"tus_id":21,"tus_data":21,"uploaded_on":30},"2ac9692a-b7e1-42f0-89db-c4358f4d4c8b","local","2ac9692a-b7e1-42f0-89db-c4358f4d4c8b.webp","tmp.webp","image\u002Fwebp","2025-05-12T21:21:21.000Z",73122,1400,1050,{},[36],{"id":37,"news_id":38,"countries_id":52},7439,{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":39,"date_created":7,"user_updated":40,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":25,"date":12,"topic":41,"slug":15,"activity":42,"nid":18,"topics":43,"activities":44,"programme":21,"area":21,"websites":45,"translation_of":21,"language":21,"countries":46,"tags":47,"authors":48,"images":49,"translations":50,"content":51},"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30",[14],[17],[],[17],[23],[37],[],[],[],[],[],{"id":53,"name":54,"code":55,"latitude":56,"longitude":57},153,"Malawi","MW",-13.25431,34.30152,[],[],[],[],[],[64,102,134,162,186,209,232,258,285],{"id":65,"body":66,"status":6,"type":10,"date":67,"slug":68,"title":69,"image":70,"countries":71,"topic":73,"activity":75,"tags":76,"nid":89,"topics":90,"activities":92,"authors":93,"images":94,"websites":95,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":96,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":97,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":99,"content":100,"link":101},10463,"Investigators and prosecutors from the Malawi Police Service (MPS) have gained vital skills in financial investigations and asset recovery during a five-day intensive Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery training programme.\n\nThis is the first time our [ICAR Training Team](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) has been able to deliver in-person training since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nAs well as members of the MPS, the 23 participants included prosecutors from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and members of the Judiciary. The training supports the objectives of our multi-year Tackling Serious and Organised Corruption programme in Malawi, which is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.\n\n### Why do Malawian Police need specialised training?\n\nJust like other Malawian agencies, such as the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) or the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the MPS is increasingly involved in the investigation and prosecution of money laundering cases and the recovery of criminal assets.\n\nHowever, one of the challenges raised during the workshop was a lack of experience and technical expertise to tackle such cases.\n\nThis is not only because of the financial analysis skills required to investigate such cases, but also the transnational nature of large-scale corruption and money laundering. This requires, among other things, the ability to draft proper mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests.\n\n### Learning new skills, applying them in day-to-day work\n\nThe flagship Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery training programme provides participants with the essential skills and simple but yet powerful tools to handle high-profile and complex financial investigations.\n\nOne Malawian investigator commented:\n\n> This is one of the most excellent experiences so far. I have really learned a lot from our lectures, that I will surely use in my cases. I really appreciate the issues to do with money laundering, as currently I am handling a case that has that offence and I did not know how to go about it. I will surely use the knowledge gained this week in my cases as well as my daily work.\n\nThe participants were immersed in a simulated corruption and money laundering investigation during which they actively followed investigative leads, made decisions, analysed and solved problems, using the Malawian legal framework.\n\nThe experience also allowed them to reflect upon the challenges that such investigations entail and possible solutions to overcome them.\n\nA prosecutor stated that:\n\n> The course has added some useful value as far as my daily work as a prosecutor is concerned. From now on, I will be able to guide the investigators who are investigating the financial crimes on how best we can successfully corner the perpetrators. As a prosecutor, I will be able from now on to apply for forfeiture orders wherever it is necessary. I can now easily prosecute financial crime-related offences.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   The ICAR training team delivers a range of tailored, high-impact training programmes to government partner agencies around the world. [Find out more and download a brochure](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.\n*   ICAR also offers free, interactive eLearning courses on critical skills in conducting financial investigations, gathering intelligence and international cooperation, including drafting MLA requests. [Register on our virtual learning platform, Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F), and start learning today!","2021-11-24","malawian-police-gain-essential-skills-to-combat-money-laundering-and-recover-criminal-proceeds-2134","Malawian Police gain essential skills to combat money laundering and recover criminal proceeds","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F4561743d-ad10-4a6f-8f8f-c3c7e254211e?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[72],7278,[74],"Asset Recovery",[17],[77,81,85],{"tags_id":78},{"id":79,"name":80},843,"Asset recovery",{"tags_id":82},{"id":83,"name":84},1193,"Financial investigations",{"tags_id":86},{"id":87,"name":88},822,"International cooperation",2134,[91],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement",[17],[],[],[23],[],"2024-08-13T22:01:46.000Z","3d9ff205-1640-4f34-b5b6-86977f51bbd6","2026-05-29T22:22:30.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawian-police-gain-essential-skills-to-combat-money-laundering-and-recover-criminal-proceeds-2134",{"id":103,"body":104,"status":6,"type":10,"date":105,"slug":106,"title":107,"image":108,"countries":109,"topic":111,"activity":112,"tags":113,"nid":123,"topics":124,"activities":125,"authors":126,"images":127,"websites":128,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":129,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":130,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":131,"content":132,"link":133},10469,"At the opening of a five-day workshop in Malawi on [Mutual Legal Assistance and the Misuse of Offshore Structures to Conceal Beneficial Ownership](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes\u002Foffshore-structures-and-mutual-legal-assistance), the Honourable Justice Dr. Chifundo Kachale hit the nail on the head. Imprisonment alone is not enough, he said. Recovering the stolen assets sends a strong message that crime does not, and should not, pay.\n\nDr. Kachale, Judge of the High Court in Lilongwe, gave an example from his own experience judging a corruption-related case in which the offender was sent to prison – but the state was unable to go after the proceeds of the crime. It is not an isolated case.\n\nTo enable the Malawian state to recover stolen assets hidden abroad, criminal justice practitioners need to build their skills in:\n\n*   international cooperation to secure admissible evidence through Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA);\n*   investigating the complex offshore structures used to conceal criminally derived assets.\n\n### Diverse participants builds mutual understanding\n\nMany of the 19 participants were building on knowledge and skills gained during two previous workshops on [Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes\u002Ffinancial-investigations-and-asset-recovery) in [July 2018](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Ficar-training-workshop-malawi-encourages-inter-agency-co-operation) and [January 2019](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Ficar-training-malawi-supports-anti-corruption-efforts).\n\nThey included members of the judiciary, investigators and prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) respectively, and representatives of the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), Malawi Police Service (MPS) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).\n\nThis diversity helped participants from different parts of the criminal justice system understand each other better. Investigators and prosecutors can now better understand what is required as admissible evidence in court. Judges, on the other hand, can appreciate the difficulties of gathering relevant evidence and investigating the sophisticated instruments that criminals can use to disguise the proceeds of crime.\n\n### Simulated investigations – from theory to practice\n\nThe workshop, held in Lilongwe from 2–6 September 2019, was developed and delivered by the [International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) training team](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) in line with their uniquely tailored and [hands-on training methodology](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fphyllis-atkinsons-quick-guide-effective-training-financial-investigations). It combined foundation-building lectures and two separate, simulated corruption\u002Fmoney laundering investigations, which the participants had to “investigate”. \n\nThese investigations helped the participants to apply their new knowledge on Mutual Legal Assistance and corporate structures used by criminals to hide their ill-gotten money, such as shell companies and trusts.\n\nIdentifying the beneficial owner of assets hidden in these offshore corporate structures is essential in linking criminals with crimes and the proceeds of their crimes.\n\n### \"An eye-opener\"\n\nOne of the participants, an experienced Chief Resident Magistrate in Lilongwe, commented that the training had been _“an eye opener”_. He expressed the opinion that although it was commonly believed that much of the money misappropriated during the infamous [Cashgate scandal](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.co.uk\u002Fnews\u002Fworld-africa-25912652) had been utilised in Malawi, it was also possible that some of it had been concealed through the use of corporate structures and required additional investigation.\n\nAnother participant, a Chief Resident Magistrate in Zomba, thanked the ICAR trainers on behalf of the participants, emphasising how important it had been for participants from different districts and agencies\u002Finstitutions to get together. He thanked the trainers for the experience they had brought to the training as this enhanced their capacity to do a better job.\n\nHe also referred to the WhatsApp group that one of the ACB investigators had started, which would allow the participants to “_remain in contact, network and platform together as we cannot operate in isolation_”. This would allow them to share information _“as MLA starts at home”._","2019-09-17","malawian-justice-practitioners-build-understanding-of-mla-and-offshore-structures-and-each-other-999","Malawian justice practitioners build understanding of MLA and offshore structures – and each other","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fadc62508-d6e4-4009-b50b-9461165be4bd?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[110],7450,[74],[17],[114,118,121],{"tags_id":115},{"id":116,"name":117},818,"Anti-money laundering",{"tags_id":119},{"id":120,"name":17},1372,{"tags_id":122},{"id":87,"name":88},999,[91],[17],[],[],[23],[],"2024-08-13T22:02:02.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:31.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawian-justice-practitioners-build-understanding-of-mla-and-offshore-structures-and-each-other-999",{"id":135,"body":136,"status":6,"type":137,"date":138,"slug":139,"title":140,"image":141,"countries":142,"topic":144,"activity":146,"tags":148,"nid":149,"topics":150,"activities":151,"authors":152,"images":155,"websites":156,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":157,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":158,"user_updated":40,"date_updated":159,"content":160,"link":161},9697,"As we have all become painfully aware, our lives can be brutally disrupted by animal-borne viruses like covid-19 that can sicken and kill people and devastate the global economy – in only seven months. We also know that the current pandemic is only the latest in a [series](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2020\u002F03\u002Fcoronavirus-global-epidemics-health-pandemic-covid-19\u002F) of such wildlife-related diseases that are occurring more frequently and becoming [more deadly](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2020\u002F02\u002Fcomparing-outbreaks-coronavirus-mers-sars-health-epidemic\u002F).\n\nWhile scientists are still trying to work out exactly how the coronavirus jumped from bats to people, it’s pretty likely the virus travelled through pangolins, the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal. These are now endangered everywhere they exist. And where do people interact with pangolins? Mostly through the [illegal wildlife trade](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fillegal-wildlife-trade), involving transnational criminal syndicates making billions of dollars trafficking endangered wildlife.\n\nIt turns out the [areas](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fpmc\u002Farticles\u002FPMC7087654\u002F) most threatened by wildlife trafficking are also areas at the highest risk for infectious disease emergence. While solutions revolving around [banning wild meat](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2020\u002Fapr\u002F06\u002Fban-live-animal-markets-pandemics-un-biodiversity-chief-age-of-extinction) markets and more tightly [regulating](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.eurogroupforanimals.org\u002Fnews\u002Fmeps-support-call-eu-positive-list-species-allowed-pets) the sale of wildlife might help in the long term, Malawi and other developing and emerging countries might be enacting a simpler and more immediate solution - putting wildlife poachers and traffickers in prison.\n\n### What is Malawi doing right?\n\nIn short, Malawi is beginning to hold wildlife traffickers more accountable for their actions by imposing [deterrent custodial sentences](http:\u002F\u002Fwww.xinhuanet.com\u002Fenglish\u002F2020-01\u002F01\u002Fc_138671465.htm) for high-level offenders. Malawi just identified, investigated, arrested, tried, and sentenced a wildlife trafficking syndicate, including its kingpin, in less than a year. The convicted [Chinese and Malawian](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.courthousenews.com\u002Fmalawi-jails-9-chinese-wildlife-trafficking-gang-members\u002F) traffickers were sentenced to a combined 56 years in prison in June 2020, and the Chinese criminals face deportation upon release. One reason their sentences are so long is that Malawi convicted them of financial crimes and [conspiracy](https:\u002F\u002Feia-international.org\u002Fpress-releases\u002Fwildlife-crime-syndicate-members-jailed-in-malawi-for-total-of-56-5-years-kingpin-due-in-court-later-this-week\u002F) as well as wildlife trafficking. This is something that needs to happen systematically across all affected countries to deter organised crime.\n\nAnd Malawi is not alone - some of its neighbours have increased penalties and enforcement for poachers and traffickers. In 2019 Tanzania convicted ivory trafficker [Yang Feng Glan](https:\u002F\u002Fnews.mongabay.com\u002F2019\u002F02\u002Fchinese-queen-of-ivory-sentenced-to-15-years-in-jail-for-tusk-trafficking\u002F) and two members of her criminal syndicate to 15 years each in prison, as well as a fine of [double the ivory market value](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.reuters.com\u002Farticle\u002Fus-tanzania-poaching\u002Fchinese-ivory-queen-smuggler-sentenced-to-15-years-jail-in-tanzania-idUSKCN1Q81L7#:~:text=Kisutu%20Court%20Magistrate%20Huruma%20Shaidi,another%20two%20years%20in%20prison.) they were caught trafficking.\n\nMeanwhile, in Vietnam a repeat trafficker had her prison [sentence doubled](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.independent.co.uk\u002Fenvironment\u002Fillegal-wildlife-trade-wild-animals-vietnam-jail-a9517541.html) on appeal to five years for trafficking king cobras, monitor lizards, turtles and other rare species earlier this year. Even better, in the same month a Vietnamese court sentenced a pangolin trafficker to [13 years in prison](https:\u002F\u002Fvietnamnews.vn\u002Fenvironment\u002F716734\u002Fcompany-director-sentenced-to-13-years-in-jail-for-wildlife-trafficking.html), a sentence practically unheard of in the West for wildlife trafficking. Often presented as the bad guy for their role in wildlife trafficking, even China has stepped up, in 2019 sentencing [11 traffickers](https:\u002F\u002Fglobalinitiative.net\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F01\u002FRB3.dec19Jan20.pdf) between 6 and 15 years for trafficking ivory from [Mozambique](https:\u002F\u002Fmag.wcoomd.org\u002Fmagazine\u002Fwco-news-88\u002Fchina-customs-disrupts-wildlife-trafficking-syndicate\u002F).\n\nWhile many states in source countries are still struggling to address poaching and trafficking, particularly in the [forestry](https:\u002F\u002Feia-global.org\u002Fcampaigns\u002Fforests) and [fishing](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fenvironment\u002F2020\u002Fjul\u002F27\u002Fchinese-fishing-vessels-galapagos-islands) sectors, the [significant efforts](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.awf.org\u002Fblog\u002Fstrengthening-africas-criminal-justice-systems-fight-illegal-wildlife-trade) to strengthen laws and enforce them are starting to reap benefits.\n\n### Do as I say, not as I do….\n\n[Europe](https:\u002F\u002Fec.europa.eu\u002Fenvironment\u002Fcites\u002Ftraf_steps_en.htm) and the [US](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fws.gov\u002Fnews\u002FShowNews.cfm?ref=u.s.-government-bolsters-overseas-law-enforcement-capacity-to--combat-&_ID=36326) have worked for decades with governments in areas at high risk for wildlife crime in Africa and Asia to improve investigations and achieve meaningful convictions. But they have been less effective at home. In Western countries, laws and penalties are often [weak or unenforced](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dw.com\u002Fen\u002Feurope-a-silent-hub-of-illegal-wildlife-trade\u002Fa-37183459). Criminals too often [get away](https:\u002F\u002Fearthjournalism.net\u002Fstories\u002Finvestigation-reveals-illegal-wildlife-trade-is-rife-in-eastern-europe) with [little or no jail time](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.researchgate.net\u002Fpublication\u002F301364184_Wildlife_crime_in_Spain_In-depth_Analysis_for_the_ENVI_Committee_of_the_European_Parliament_2016#pf21). Fines, where applied, are not commensurate with the value of the trade or the damage to wildlife and biodiversity. Sentencing has likely never taken into account the risks traffickers take in exposing others to pandemic disease.\n\nPerhaps the most egregious example of punishment not fitting a crime comes from the UK. Earlier this year, a wildlife criminal received a [two-year suspended sentence](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk\u002Fnews\u002Fseafood-salesman-convicted-of-eelegally-smuggling-53million-worth-of-european-eels-through-the-uk) for trafficking USD 63 million in eels to China. Also this year, in Germany a [Dutch bird trafficker](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.impel-esix.eu\u002Fdutch-bird-smugglers-convicted-in-germany\u002F) caught with more than 70 exotic birds of various species poached from the wild received a fine of less than EUR 5,000.\n\nThe paltry fines and non-custodial sentences in many places make the two-year prison sentence a [Vietnamese tiger](https:\u002F\u002Fapnews.com\u002Fd2d16159bc1d4461b4f2cbc5b8236358) trafficker operating in the Czech Republic received in 2019 seem more reasonable… until you learn that he was involved in a [significant transnational tiger trafficking ring](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fenvironment\u002F2018\u002Fnov\u002F19\u002Fgruesome-discovery-of-czech-tiger-farm-exposes-illegal-trade-in-heart-of-europe) which included a tiger zoo that bred tigers for slaughter, a butchering facility where tigers were turned into gelatin to supply traditional medicine markets, and the transnational sales of skins, bones and claws. Investigators spent five years unravelling the network, three more years than the traffickers will spend in jail.\n\nAustralia and the US could also learn from Malawi.\n\nIn Australia, a [repeat offender](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au\u002Fnews\u002Fnsw\u002Fillegal-snake-trader-neil-simpson-fined-20000-for-illegal-importation\u002Fnews-story\u002Fa0af304345ebbe023aca912125c83d96) convicted of illegally importing and exporting wildlife was forced to pay about AUD 38,000 in fines for his second offence involving the trafficking of animals worth many times the fine. On his [third conviction](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cdpp.gov.au\u002Fnews\u002Fman-caught-dealing-native-australian-animals), he received a suspended sentence. Unsurprisingly the same individual was charged as recently as June 2020 with wildlife trafficking in a [new case.](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.awe.gov.au\u002Fnews\u002Fmedia-releases\u002Ftwo-arrested-wildlife-trafficking-operation)\n\nIn the US, a [rhino horn trafficker](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.justice.gov\u002Fopa\u002Fpr\u002Firish-national-sentenced-prison-trafficking-rhinoceros-horns) convicted for trafficking a horn at USD 50,000, and trying to sell 10 more horns worth at least that much each, received a one-year sentence. Another man in the US convicted of trafficking [1,000 box turtles](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.justice.gov\u002Fusao-ndok\u002Fpr\u002Fnew-jersey-man-sentenced-smuggling-over-1000-illegally-collected-box-turtles-oklahoma) to China worth around a [million dollars](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.latimes.com\u002Flocal\u002Fcalifornia\u002Fla-me-turtle-black-market-china-20170604-story.html) paid fines and fees totaling USD 350,000 and received two years _of probation_.\n\n### So let’s practice what we preach, and start acting like Malawi\n\nVery few countries have taken wildlife crime seriously, despite the threats to biodiversity and pandemic disease, or connections with serious transnational organised crime. Low-level offenders make up the bulk of arrests and convictions, while intermediaries, kingpins and corrupt officials enable them to go free. Far too often, convicted traffickers immediately re-offend, assured that the low fines and weak penalties will continue to simply be the “cost of doing business”.\n\nCustodial sentences and fines that reflect the seriousness of the crime, including the monetary value of products trafficked and the associated risks to human health and biodiversity, serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals. That will save wild animals and help preserve our fast-diminishing biodiversity. And it may just help stop the next pandemic before it occurs.","Blog","2020-07-31","want-to-stop-illegal-wildlife-trade-be-more-like-malawi-1831","Want to stop illegal wildlife trade? Be more like Malawi","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F21bc5261-4f9c-4347-b59d-839ae7c8114a?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[143],7404,[145],"Green Corruption",[147],"Insights",[],1831,[145],[147],[153,154],1216,1217,[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:54:27.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:40.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fwant-to-stop-illegal-wildlife-trade-be-more-like-malawi-1831",{"id":163,"body":164,"status":6,"type":137,"date":165,"slug":166,"title":167,"image":168,"countries":169,"topic":171,"activity":172,"tags":173,"nid":174,"topics":175,"activities":176,"authors":177,"images":179,"websites":180,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":181,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":182,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":183,"content":184,"link":185},10475,"> If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African Proverb\n\nThe current corruption scandals that are besetting Malawi are unprecedented and continue to rock the country and its political classes. The Cashgate scandal, as it has become known, broke in September 2013 when the former Budget Director, Paul Mphwiyo, was shot in a failed assassination attempt. The violent incident led to the exposure of a systematic and organised looting of public finances that involved some ten Ministries, and investigations in the office of the Accountant General revealed that significant sums of government money had been lost.\n\nA subsequent forensic audit of suspect transactions for the months April to October 2013 exposed the scale of the scandal.\n\nThe means of defrauding the Malawian public was, surprisingly, rather straightforward. In 2005 the government had developed an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to support government departments in their budgeting, accounting and reporting. Critically, IFMIS also managed payments to suppliers, approved in compliance with check and control procedures, leading to the printing of Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) cheques at the Accountant General’s Department.\n\nBy 2011 the system was already suspected to be corrupt but the warning signs were missed and\u002For covered up. By 2013, IFMIS was issuing large numbers of government cheques for services never delivered that were cashed at speed through the commercial banks. Once the cheques had been extracted from the RBM the corrupt public officials then deleted the cheques from the system. Large numbers of business-persons used their accounts to launder the proceeds and dissipate the proceeds in cash.\n\nThe total loss to Malawi in IFMIS and other related frauds now stands at in excess of MKA 15 billion (over $282M).\n\nNot surprisingly, confidence in the government is now at an all time low with some [72% of Malawians](http:\u002F\u002Fafrobarometer.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002Fmedia-briefing\u002Fmalawi\u002Fmlw_r6_presentation2_econ_trust.pdf) expressing concern at the handling of the Cashgate scandal.\n\nMalawi’s response has, according to many, been protracted – with only some 8 convictions to date after numerous arrests were made in late 2013. Assets restrained and confiscated have been minimal. However, a closer examination reveals that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) are moving ahead, deploying novel legal techniques that will provide Malawi with some chance to restore public confidence in the rule of law by investigating and prosecuting both the launderers of the money and the higher ranking masterminds of the Cashgate scandal.\n\nThe endorsement by the DPP of plea bargaining rules and the use of more forensic skills and international expertise in the ACB and the DPP are yielding results. The use of the new plea bargaining rules has now led to a number of guilty pleas, opening up the prospect of further trials against the key players. Greater collaboration with the judiciary, still at a delicate stage given many of the new legal issues inherent in such cases, is leading to improvements in investigations, prosecutions and, in due course, safe convictions.\n\nThe greater use of restraint powers to confiscate the proceeds of the Cashgate crimes will follow, although the law presents significant challenges.\n\nIf the prosecution of some of the Cashgate crimes is successful and some of the stolen assets are recovered, it will be due to the commitment, coordination and considerable bravery of the staff of the DPP, ACB and others in law enforcement. This will go a long way in restoring public confidence in the country. It would seem that this time grand corruption in Africa has an enemy worthy of the fight.\n\nThis article is dedicated to the memory of Issa Njauju the Director of Corporate Services of the Anti Corruption Bureau, who was murdered in July 2015, allegedly in connection with the Cashgate investigations.","2015-09-12","malawis-cashgate-crisis-an-african-corruption-metaphor-or-a-sign-of-hope-285","Malawi’s Cashgate Crisis – an African corruption metaphor or a sign of hope?","\u002Fpics\u002Fimg-placeholder.png",[170],7696,[74],[147],[],285,[91],[147],[178],1313,[],[23],[],"2024-08-13T22:02:19.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:32.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawis-cashgate-crisis-an-african-corruption-metaphor-or-a-sign-of-hope-285",{"id":187,"body":188,"status":6,"type":10,"date":189,"slug":190,"title":191,"image":192,"countries":193,"topic":195,"activity":196,"tags":197,"nid":198,"topics":199,"activities":200,"authors":201,"images":202,"websites":203,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":204,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":205,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":206,"content":207,"link":208},10520,"Congratulations to our partners at the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Malawi for achieving the final forfeiture of a house linked to the infamous Cashgate corruption scandal.\n\nA decision by the Supreme Court to reject an appeal against the forfeiture order sends an important message about ending impunity for high-profile corruption.\n\nIt is also an important marker of the tenacity and determination of our partners at the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau and other agencies to use all available legislation to pursue corrupt individuals and recover assets for the benefit of the Malawian people.\n\n### The case\n\nThe house – valued at MK 690 million or just under USD 400,000 – had been put up as security for bail by former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo after he was charged with money laundering and theft in relation to [Cashgate](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fworld-africa-25912652). Mphwiyo’s shooting in 2013 marked the outbreak of the scandal, which involved the alleged embezzlement of around USD 25 million dollars from the public treasury.\n\nIn addition to the house, Mphwiyo also paid MK 10 million in cash as part of the bail agreement and surrendered his travel documents.\n\nAfter Mphwiyo absconded to evade justice, the state made an application to have both cash and the house forfeited. The High Court’s ruling to forfeit the house was however appealed by Mphwiyo’s wife and a legal battle ensued.\n\nOn 6 December 2024, Malawi’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal against the forfeiture order, ruling that the High Court’s decision to forfeit the property was lawful. The property now belongs to the Malawian State. \n\nThe Supreme Court’s decision makes for strong jurisprudence, as it was taken by the Chief Justice and a full court of eight other judges. We expect this to translate into greater use of non-conviction-based forfeiture provisions in future corruption and asset recovery cases.\n\n### The value of non-conviction based forfeiture\n\nIn terms of asset recovery law, policy and practice, three important lessons can be drawn from this case.\n\nFirst, this case demonstrates the value of non-conviction based forfeiture in achieving the recovery of assets linked to corruption or other crimes, even when a criminal prosecution cannot be achieved.\n\nThe forfeiture was achieved using non-conviction based forfeiture provisions in Malawi’s Penal Code.\n\nExpert advisors from the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) have been working with officers from the Anti-Corruption Bureau and public prosecutors to consider non-conviction-based forfeiture provisions in both the Penal Code and the 2017 Financial Crimes Act in relevant cases.\n\nThe first successful use of non-conviction based forfeiture under the Financial Crimes Act by the Financial Intelligence Authority was in 2020 in relation to [funds stolen from the Reserve Bank of Malawi](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawi-achieves-first-non-conviction-based-forfeiture-order-and-takes-step-forward-tackling).\n\n### Inter-agency cooperation through a dedicated taskforce\n\nA second success factor was efficient inter-agency cooperation between the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and other agencies.\n\nMalawi set up a dedicated asset recovery taskforce in 2014 under the leadership of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The taskforce was mandated to investigate and prosecute Cashgate cases and to recover stolen assets. It has achieved this through a variety of means, ranging from criminal prosecutions to negotiated settlements.\n\nICAR promotes the development of such [multi-agency taskforces](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg33) to improve the efficiency of investigations and boost asset recovery. It also promotes effective inter-agency cooperation through multi-agency training programmes, such as one conducted in [November 2024](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fposts\u002Fbasel-institute_asset-forfeiture-weakens-criminal-enterprises-activity-7267155443804737536-8hm5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) for practitioners from the ACB, Financial Intelligence Authority, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Judiciary.\n\n### Raising issues of gender and asset recovery\n\nThe case is also interesting in the context of debates about the gender-related impact of asset recovery. In this case, though the property belonged to Paul Mphwiyo, it was his wife who appealed as she and her children were living in the property.\n\nThe Court’s decision disregarded any interest that the wife had in the property and took the view that only the legal owner, Mphwiyo, could challenge the forfeiture order.\n\nConsideration of the rights of women over assets that are legally owned solely by their husbands – as is still the case in many countries – is an issue in which jurisprudence is still to be developed.\n\n### What next?\n\nThe Anti-Corruption Bureau has indicated that the property may be used to house its offices, eliminating rental costs for the current premises and thus directly saving taxpayer funds.\n\nWe look forward to continuing our support to the Government of Malawi in its efforts to prosecute and prevent corruption and to recover stolen assets for the benefit of the Malawian people. Our International Centre for Asset Recovery and other teams have been working in Malawi since 2015 under the Tackling Serious and Organised Corruption (TSOC) programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.","2024-12-12","malawi-recovers-cashgate-property-using-non-conviction-based-forfeiture-2734","Malawi recovers Cashgate property using non-conviction based forfeiture","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fce090e25-cf12-4772-b8bd-c1c4b39de0b3?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[194],7075,[74],[14],[],2734,[91],[],[],[],[23],[],"2024-12-12T17:01:47.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:34.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawi-recovers-cashgate-property-using-non-conviction-based-forfeiture-2734",{"id":210,"body":211,"status":6,"type":10,"date":212,"slug":213,"title":214,"image":215,"countries":216,"topic":217,"activity":218,"tags":219,"nid":220,"topics":221,"activities":222,"authors":223,"images":224,"websites":225,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":226,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":227,"user_updated":228,"date_updated":229,"content":230,"link":231},10478,"Our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) has launched a new [training programme](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) on illicit enrichment.\n\nDelivered for the first time in Malawi to 33 practitioners from a range of government agencies, the programme is designed to help practitioners gain the knowledge and skills to investigate and prosecute cases of unexplained wealth in line with local legislation and to recover any unjustified assets.\n\nOur training team designed the new programme in response to the introduction of illicit enrichment legislation in various countries as a valuable tool in the fight against corruption. The programme builds on the Basel Institute’s extensive research on this topic – see our [free book on Illicit Enrichment](https:\u002F\u002Fillicitenrichment.baselgovernance.org\u002F) by Andrew Dornbierer – and on the hands-on experiences of our ICAR staff working with law enforcement practitioners around the world.\n\n### Illicit enrichment offences: great potential...\n\nIllicit enrichment offences (also known as the possession of unexplained or unjustified wealth) typically target public officials who cannot reasonably justify the maintenance of a lifestyle or the possession of property which is incommensurate with their lawful income.\n\nA major rationale for targeting unexplained wealth is that corruption offences such as bribery are often difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt and\u002For to link directly to particular assets. Although laws vary widely between countries, illicit enrichment legislation has the benefit that it generally does not require proof of specific underlying criminal conduct to establish that the offence of illicit enrichment has been committed.\n\nInstead, courts only need to be satisfied that a person is enjoying an amount of wealth that is not justified by reference to their legal income. As a result, it is a powerful enforcement tool. It also enables the recovery of assets arising from corruption.\n\n### … but underutilised\n\nThierry Ravalomanda, Head of Training ICAR, explains that:\n\n> Despite its clear potential, the offence of illicit enrichment remains largely underutilised. Reasons for this include legal challenges, such as concerns about infringing upon the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, and the difficulties of international cooperation, particularly when meeting dual criminality requirements. These complexities have made many jurisdictions hesitant to fully enforce this offence.\n\nFor example, although Malawi criminalised illicit enrichment in 2004, and although the law has been tested in court and generated some jurisprudence, it remains underutilised. Thierry emphasises that:\n\n> Continued training and strategic support will help to ensure that illicit enrichment legislation is utilised more effectively in Malawi and in other jurisdictions.\n\nThe strategic support includes hands-on mentoring of Malawian officials by ICAR’s financial investigation and asset recovery specialists.\n\n### Trainings respond to enforcement challenges\n\nThe first edition of this new programme brought together practitioners from Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau, Financial Intelligence Authority, Malawi Revenue Authority, Police, Judiciary, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations.\n\nParticipants worked together in cross-agency task teams to enhance their knowledge of the illicit enrichment offence as it appears in Malawi’s anti-bribery legislation. They also improved their technical skills in conducting source and application of funds analysis and net worth analysis as alternative ways to calculate unjustified income – skills that they and others can practise in our [free eLearning course](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002Fenrol\u002Findex.php?id=17).\n\nParticipants gave positive feedback, with one stating that:\n\n> “The training has exceeded my expectations and enhanced my analytical and investigation skills. Going forward, I believe I will produce fact-based reports that will help when dealing with unexplained wealth\u002Fillicit enrichment investigations.\n\nThe value of peer learning was also raised, with the hope that:\n\n> future training involve participants from several countries so that we can learn and exchange experiences from different jurisdictions.\n\nThe training was funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as part of our long-running programme of technical assistance to Malawi on anti-corruption and asset recovery.","2024-08-29","new-training-on-illicit-enrichment-rolled-out-in-malawi-2670","New training on illicit enrichment rolled out in Malawi","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F83670fe7-10e5-43b3-b255-3acad59a6ad8?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14],[14],[],2670,[],[],[],[],[23],[],"2024-08-29T10:01:36.000Z","dfef11db-1bc6-47e9-a61d-93443995484b","2026-05-08T21:11:11.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fnew-training-on-illicit-enrichment-rolled-out-in-malawi-2670",{"id":233,"body":234,"status":6,"type":10,"date":235,"slug":236,"title":237,"image":238,"countries":239,"topic":240,"activity":243,"tags":245,"nid":246,"topics":247,"activities":249,"authors":250,"images":251,"websites":252,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":253,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":254,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":255,"content":256,"link":257},10425,"We are excited to launch a new project on addressing corruption risks in the emergency response of the Malawian health system.\n\nOur team of collaborators will analyse corruption risks emerging in three kinds of crisis situations:\n\n*   external shocks from a pandemic, like covid 19; \n*   internal crises such as recurrent cholera outbreaks; and \n*   extreme climate events such as cyclones, floodings and resulting displacement of the population. \n\nWorking together with key local stakeholders in a participatory manner, we will then develop innovative approaches to preventing and mitigating corruption in that context.\n\nDr Claudia Baez Camargo, Head of [Prevention, Research and Innovation](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fteam\u002Fprevention-research-innovation) at the Basel Institute and Principal Investigator on the project, formally kicked off the three-year project at the launch event of the Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme in February 2024. \n\nThe [GI-ACE programme](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sussex.ac.uk\u002Fnews\u002Farticle\u002F63466-sussex-centre-for-the-study-of-corruption-awarded-major-grant-from-uk-government-to-help-tackle-global-corruption) is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is based at the University of Sussex's Centre for the Study of Corruption.\n\n### A novel approach\n\nThe project will explore different types of corruption affecting the emergency response of the Malawian health system in order to understand whether these are simply an exacerbated version of corruption patterns plaguing the health system in “normal times” or whether emergencies give rise to unique, additional corruption patterns.\n\nThrough a participative process with key local stakeholders and inputs from an advisory group of experts, corruption patterns identified in the health system’s emergency response will be prioritised based on how relevant they are and how feasible they are to address.\n\nThe prioritised corruption patterns will be thoroughly researched to understand formal, informal and behavioural drivers and enabling factors. This research is essential for the design of tailored and impactful interventions. The use of behavioural insights can increase the impact of anti-corruption initiatives, for example, by correcting misperceptions or addressing perceived social norms. The research is also essential to ensure crisis responses do not exacerbate or fuel corruption risks. \n\nUltimately, the team will provide detailed guidance on developing and implementing high-impact, technologically and politically feasible strategies to address corruption in the crisis response of the health system in Malawi. \n\n### Project collaborators\n\nOur team looks forward to working with:\n\n*   Institutional partners in Malawi, including the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Ombudsman.\n*   Professor Eric Umar, an expert specialist in health system governance from the [Kamuzu University of Health Sciences](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.kuhes.ac.mw\u002Fass-professor-eric-umar\u002F), Malawi. \n*   Professor Dina Balabanova, a renowned expert in the field of corruption and anti-corruption in health systems from the [London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lshtm.ac.uk\u002Faboutus\u002Fpeople\u002Fbalabanova.dina). \n*   Dr Maqueda López, from the EssentialTech Centre of the [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.epfl.ch\u002Fen\u002F) (EPFL), an innovation centre specialising in harnessing science and technology to address extreme vulnerability.\n*   Professor Thorsten Chmura, an expert in experimental and behavioural economics at [Nottingham Trent University.](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ntu.ac.uk\u002Fstaff-profiles\u002Fbusiness\u002Fthorsten-chmura)\n\n### Learn more\n\nSee previous research by our Prevention, Research and Innovation team (formerly “Public Governance) under an earlier edition of GI-ACE programme on:\n\n*   [Leveraging informal networks for anti-corruption in East Africa](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fresearch-case-2)\n*   [Targeting corrupt behaviours in a Tanzanian hospital through a behavioural approach](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fresearch-case-1)","2024-02-28","corruption-risks-and-health-crises-in-malawi-new-gi-ace-research-project-2592","Corruption risks and health crises in Malawi: new GI-ACE research project","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Ff09731d9-f4d4-4028-b147-2f558d11f003?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[241,242],"Prevention"," Research and Innovation",[244],"Research",[],2592,[248],"Prevention Research and Innovation",[244],[],[],[23],[],"2024-02-28T17:01:33.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:55.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fcorruption-risks-and-health-crises-in-malawi-new-gi-ace-research-project-2592",{"id":259,"body":260,"status":6,"type":10,"date":261,"slug":262,"title":263,"image":264,"countries":265,"topic":267,"activity":271,"tags":273,"nid":274,"topics":275,"activities":276,"authors":277,"images":278,"websites":279,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":280,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":281,"user_updated":98,"date_updated":282,"content":283,"link":284},9782,"Congratulations to our partners in Malawi on the launch of the new Malawi National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS II).\n\nWe are delighted to have been able to contribute our multi-disciplinary expertise to what we believe is a state-of-the-art anti-corruption strategy that will have real impact on corruption in Malawi over the next five years.\n\n### What makes Malawi’s new strategy stand out\n\nNACS II is evidence-based. It draws on multi-stakeholder consultations and extensive research on the state and drivers of corruption in Malawi, plus a [political economy analysis](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Ftechnical-assistance). The methodology is based on a review of international evidence about best practices in drafting national anti-corruption strategies.\n\nWith the support of an expert advisory group, the NACS II drafting committee was able to analyse this wealth of evidence to identify goals, priorities and key areas of activity that respond to the actual challenges and expectations of all sectors of Malawian society.\n\nNACS II has concrete, complementary goals that Malawians across the board care about:\n\n*   Improving the quality and accessibility of public services.\n*   Promoting rule of law by strengthening the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals and recover their illicit assets.\n*   Promoting a culture of integrity and accountability.\n\nThese goals are closely related. Strengthening rule of law, for example, allows law enforcement agencies to better tackle corruption in service delivery. Social audits by civil society organisations can help promote integrity in public services.\n\nNACS II is inclusive and participatory. It draws on the results of consultations with civil society groups, including those representing youth and women, and business representatives.\n\nAt a meeting of the UNCAC Working Group on Corruption Prevention focused on developing effective anti-corruption strategies, it was emphasised that this multi-stakeholder participation is critical to ensure buy-in and promote ownership of the strategy across Malawian society.\n\nOne key finding – echoing a message heard in many other countries – is that the private sector is “ready and willing to become a more active partner in fighting corruption”. This is why the NACS II [promotes Collective Action](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fno-time-present-anti-corruption-collective-action-malawi) as a way to achieve sustainable and strategic engagement of the private sector in the fight against corruption in Malawi.\n\n### Looking forward\n\nIn the many stakeholder meetings and surveys conducted in support of NACS II, one message was loud and clear. Malawians care greatly about corruption and are ready to mobilise – to support the anti-corruption activities, to monitor their implementation and to make sure they are locally owned.\n\nAll of us at the Basel Institute look forward to supporting this process and seeing its positive impact on Malawian society. Watch this space.","2019-12-11","malawis-new-national-anti-corruption-strategy-a-state-of-the-art-approach-1040","Malawi’s new National Anti-Corruption Strategy: a state-of-the-art approach?","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F7e13a650-4ad0-4a16-933a-63e293f4f961?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[266],7435,[268,74,269,270,241,242],"Anti-Money Laundering","Collective Action","Private Sector",[244,272],"Anti-corruption interventions",[],1040,[268,91,269,270,248],[244,272],[],[],[23,269],[],"2022-05-26T22:55:36.000Z","2026-05-29T22:21:55.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fmalawis-new-national-anti-corruption-strategy-a-state-of-the-art-approach-1040",{"id":286,"body":287,"status":6,"type":14,"date":288,"slug":289,"title":290,"image":291,"countries":292,"topic":293,"activity":294,"tags":295,"nid":296,"topics":297,"activities":298,"authors":299,"images":300,"websites":301,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":302,"translation_of":21,"user_created":39,"date_created":303,"user_updated":40,"date_updated":8,"content":304,"link":305},9927,"Dr Claudia Baez Camargo and Cosimo Stahl of the Basel Institute’s [Public Governance division](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Ftheme\u002Fpublic_governance) delivered a five-day training workshop to Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Lake Malawi in October 2018. The interactive workshop was part of the Basel Institute’s ongoing assistance to Malawi via the Tackling Serious and Organised Corruption (TSOC) programme funded by the UK Department for International Development.\n\nThe “Corruption Research Methods and Anti-Corruption Practice” workshop was specifically customised to the ACB Corruption Prevention and Public Education divisions and their mandate. Based on a preliminary needs assessment, the workshop was targeted at two specific TSOC programme objectives: strengthening the ACB’s research capacity and translating empirical research into actionable anti-corruption policies.\n\nThe novel format of this training workshop not only included presentations of prominent theories and concepts of corruption, but also an illustrative discussion of corruption-specific data collection techniques and research methods.\n\nGroup exercises and presentations were conducted after participants had analysed hypothetical risk scenarios and corruption causes that would fit the Malawian context in the real world. The purpose was to gain a thoroughly contextualised understanding of the root causes of corruption. This deeper understanding would then critically inform the design and logic of innovative and more effective anti-corruption policy interventions.","2018-11-01","translating-research-into-anti-corruption-policies-in-malawi-16","Translating research into anti-corruption policies in Malawi","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F78f56be6-146b-4e1d-a46e-b755858eecf5?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14],[14],[],16,[],[],[],[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:57:32.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Ftranslating-research-into-anti-corruption-policies-in-malawi-16",{"left":307,"top":307,"width":308,"height":308,"rotate":307,"vFlip":309,"hFlip":309,"body":310},0,20,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M17 10a.75.75 0 0 1-.75.75H5.612l4.158 3.96a.75.75 0 1 1-1.04 1.08l-5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.08l5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 1 1 1.04 1.08L5.612 9.25H16.25A.75.75 0 0 1 17 10\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u002F>",1780676498646]