Ombudsman Immigration Dept probe shapes up

The Office of the Ombudsman is finalising a systemic investigation into service delivery failures at the Immigration Department, a probe that has exposed structural weaknesses, alleged corruption and chronic delays in passport processing. Ombudsman Grace Malera said in an interview on Friday the inquiry, which launched with a call for submissions on 26 July 2025, examined the department’s operational effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness and probed the legal and policy framework that governs immigration services. The concerns also included delays in processing and issuance of passports to applicants, allegations of bribery involving some immigration officers and issuance of diplomatic passports to ineligible individuals.

According to Malera, wherever appropriate, they summoned former public officials as part of the probe. “We also comprehensively engaged with service users of immigration and citizenship services,” she said. “The investigation applied a good governance framework, guided by five core principles of accountability, transparency, responsiveness, efficiency and due diligence.” According to Malera, the key areas were border control, management, human trafficking, human smuggling, illicit trade, smuggling of goods, tax evasion, procurement and contract management within the department and refugees.

The probe also tackled corruption, malpractices and unethical conduct among personnel, including the use of middlemen and the legal and policy framework regulating the immigration department. Malera said her office will release the final report as soon as finalisation processes are concluded. Among the stakeholders that were engaged in the probe were Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Malawi Police Service, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Malawi Revenue Authority, National Registration Bureau and Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.

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Others include the Department of E-Government, Ministry of Homeland Security and Internal Security and Office of the President and Cabinet through the Department of Human Resource Management and Development. On January 23 2026, ACB acting director general Gabriel Chembezi announced in a statement the launch of a probe into 21 complaints of alleged corrupt practices at the Immigration department. The probe followed a visit by Deputy Minister of Homeland Security Norman Chisale to the Immigration’s Central Region offices where passport applicants alleged corruption among personnel, who purportedly use middlemen. When asked about progress of the probe on Friday, ACB senior public relations officer Jacqueline Ngongonda said upon review of the 21 complaints, nine were authorised for investigations while the rest were referred to police as they were cases of theft.

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