Church tells IMF of corruption concerns

Meanwhile, Fisher said he had been told by the country’s Catholic priesthood that they were concerned about issues of government transparency and accountability.

After a private meeting with Archbishop Merdado Mazombwe and other Catholic officials, Fischer told a news conference: “It was noted that if there was more transparency there would be less corruption.” He also said Archbishop Mazombwe was particularly concerned at the deteriorating education and health sectors. The paper said he had suggested that any monies released through debt relief be allocated to those sectors.

Fischer also praised what he called the “new openness” shown by the government. Earlier, Fischer had been scheduled to meet parliamentarians, but they called the meeting off after his arrival at been delayed by the meeting with the archbishop, news reports said on Tuesday.