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US bars 4 former Malawi officials over corruption, State Department says 


FILE - The State Department Building is pictured in Washington, Jan. 26, 2017. The US has barred four former Malawi officials from entry due to their involvement in corruption, the State Department says.
FILE - The State Department Building is pictured in Washington, Jan. 26, 2017. The US has barred four former Malawi officials from entry due to their involvement in corruption, the State Department says.

The United States has barred four former officials of the Malawi government from entry because of their involvement in significant corruption, the State Department said on Wednesday.

The officials designated are former solicitor general and secretary of justice Reyneck Matemba, former director of public procurement and disposal of assets John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Service attorney Mwabi Kaluba, and former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja, the department said.

The four were cited by the State Department as having "abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other articles of value" from a private business person in exchange for a government police contract.

"The United States stands with Malawians working towards a more just and prosperous nation by promoting accountability for corrupt officials, including advocating for transparency and integrity in government procurement processes," department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Matemba expressed surprise when contacted by Reuters.

"I am still in Malawi and have never traveled outside the country since 2021. I am on bail, therefore I can't travel because my passport is technically with the police," Matemba said.

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has waged a crackdown on corruption in recent years. In January 2022, he dissolved the country's entire Cabinet on charges of corruption against three serving ministers.

FILE - Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima arrives at a polling station in Lilongwe, May 21, 2019, in this still image obtained from Reuters TV video.
FILE - Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima arrives at a polling station in Lilongwe, May 21, 2019, in this still image obtained from Reuters TV video.

Later that year, Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested and charged the country's vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, over graft allegations.

The group has been investigating public officers in Malawi over alleged plundering of state resources by influencing awarding of contracts through the country's public procurement system.

Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries, with nearly three-quarters of the population living on less than $2 a day. Though small in size, it features in the top 10 in Africa in terms of population density.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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