NGO Board Urges UN To Allow Justice On MANGO Network

NGO Board has urged United Nations UN and law enforcers to allow justice to take its course without undue obstruction, in the ongoing case involving MANGO network and its leadership.

The board says it is very concerned with financial mishandling that has taken place at the Network.

In a press statement chief executive officer Voice Mhone says the board finds it strange and improper for UNAIDS to ask for closure of the matter before the courts have handled it as this will contradict principles of transparency and accountability which UN family promotes and safeguards.

According to Mhone the NGO Board it is disturbing to note that the funds abuse have taken place under the watch of some prominent activists who are supposed to be pacesetters in issues of promoting accountability.

It has cautioned against setting precedence which will choke future efforts to fight abuse of funds and promote accountability.

“NGO board is looking forward to seeing justice taking its course on MANGO together with its leadership Gift Trapence and Macdonald Sembereka who are in court on allegations of misappropriating UNAIDS project funds that were meant for needy Malawians,” Mhone says

He further says it is a matter of further concern that MANGO and a number of NGO’s have chosen to disregard the rule of law by deliberately operating without registering with NGO Act.

The NGO Board Chief executive officer adds that fraud is rampant in the NGO sector as has been illuminated through the case of MANGO which poses a gross injustice to people of Malawi.

He states that NGO Board makes this observation at a time when a significant number of NGO’s are non-compliant in submitting annual financial reports and audits.

The NGO Board chief executive officer further says “the sector registers over 1 trillion kwacha annual income yet only 25 percent of this sum is backed with audits through reports presented to the NGO board.”

According to Mhone it is very necessary to promote a strong civil society that can hold duty bearers accountable and free of criminal elements from within the sector.

Mhone reiterated that the NGO sector has remained unaccountable to Malawian people despite raising funds in the name of Malawians.

The NGO Board has emphasized that will take an extra gear to promote NGO accountability by demanding rule of law, program and financial audits in all NGO’s in Malawi.