The Immigration Department has announced a system crash, affecting operations and website availability. To address ongoing corruption, they will collaborate with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to combat bribery within the department.
To improve service delivery, the Immigration Department plans to decentralize passport issuance, allowing all districts in Malawi to process passports locally. This change will eliminate the need for individuals to travel to Lilongwe, enhancing accessibility and convenience.
A permanent system will soon replace current temporary measures. The ACB has taken significant steps to tackle corruption within the Immigration Department, including the recent arrest of several corrupt workers in Lilongwe. The Bureau noted widespread corruption, with forms charged at K10,000 or more, signatures at K20,000 or more, and bank payments exceeding the initial K50,000.
Moving forward, the ACB has emphasized that passports will be issued through legitimate means. To ensure transparency and fairness, the following measures will be implemented:
- Do not give passports to middlemen or Immigration officers. The department has stressed that Normal Passport is K50,000 and expressed is k120,000 and no additional money is supposed to be paid.
- Passports issued from 2021 to 2024 will be processed in the respective districts. Only those who paid in Lilongwe will continue to be assisted there; all others will be serviced in their local districts.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested eight immigration officers and two civilians for alleged corruption related to the issuance of passports at the Lilongwe office of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.
Hilary Chilomba, the acting director general of ACB, confirmed the arrests but did not reveal the names of the individuals involved.
Chilomba stated that the Immigration Department’s investigations uncovered that individuals were paying an additional K200,000 on top of the standard K50,000 passport fee to obtain passports.
He also revealed that some suspects were found with large amounts of money, with one individual possessing K2.5 million that could not be accounted for.
Among those arrested is an inspector from the Lilongwe office. Chilomba noted that investigations are ongoing and that the ACB plans to investigate other Immigration offices as well.
These steps aim to restore integrity within the Immigration Department and ensure a fair and efficient passport issuance process for all Malawians.
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