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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 28 FEBRUARY 2014 FORENSIC AUDIT FUNDED BY THE UK: STATEMENT BY THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER MR. MICHAEL NEVIN In response to concerns about the forensic audit, the British High Commissioner Michael Nevin said: We remain deeply concerned by the breadth and depth of corruption revealed in this report and it is clear that ordinary Malawians have ultimately paid the price. The UK agreed to fund the independent audit to help identify the full extent of the corruption allegations and bring to account all those who were involved. As the forensic audit report makes clear, the auditors and other investigators have not completed their work. Investigations are still in progress and continuing. The aim is to identify the full extent of the scandal, identify all the beneficiaries and attempt to recover lost funds. Releasing names now would be premature and may jeapordise the evidence trails. As the independent auditors stated in their report, releasing names may also prejudice any current or future legal action. The report is now the ownership of the Auditor General and it is the ultimate decision of the Malawi authorities to decide how to progress in line with the Laws of Malawi. It is clear these losses would not have been uncovered without the determination of the Malawi government but the findings are so serious that Malawi must now take urgent action to bring the culprits to justice and restore confidence in its finances. In addition, the report contains 62 recommendations for action. We encourage debate and action on those recommendations to stop a recurrence of these problems in the future.

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