VP Saulos Chilima is implicated of accepting cash and other products in exchange for granting federal government agreements.
Published On 25 Nov 2022
Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau has actually apprehended the nation’s Vice President Saulos Chilima over corruption accusations, it stated on Friday.
Chilima is implicated of accepting cash and other products in exchange for granting federal government agreements, the ACB stated in a declaration.
The vice president would be brought to justice where he is anticipated to be charged with 3 counts of corrupt practices by a public officer, to name a few charges, the corruption guard dog included.
Footage from regional media revealed fans of Chilima and the authorities apparently in a scuffle as he was being taken into court for the official reading of charges.
” I have no remark to make. We will let the court procedure run its course,” Chilima informed press reporters outside court after being approved bail, according to media.
The ACB declaration stated Chilima was rewarded for helping Xaviar Limited and Malachitte FZE, 2 business connected to British business owner Zuneth Sattar, to win agreements.
The guard dog has actually been examining Sattar and other public officers in Malawi over supposed plundering of state resources by affecting awarding of agreements through the nation’s public procurement system, it stated.
The ACB jailed Chilima “on claims that in between March 2021 and October 2021, he got benefit in kind of cash” totaling up to $280,000 and other products “from Zuneth Sattar as a benefit”, its declaration stated.
In August, the Financial Times reported that Sattar was under examination by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) over declared abuse of Malawi’s public procurement system. He had actually not been charged with any offense and rejected misbehavior, the report stated.
NCA did not instantly react to an ask for discuss Friday, and Sattar might not be reached, the Reuters news firm stated.
Earlier this year, Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera liquified his whole cabinet on charges of corruption versus 3 serving ministers. A number of ministers and previous ministers have actually currently been jailed in connection with this case, in which 53 public authorities have actually been implicated of getting cash from Sattar in between March and October 2021.
In June this year, Chakwera removed Chilima of all powers after the latter was initially called in corruption accusations by the ACB. According to Malawi’s constitution, the president might not suspend or eliminate Chilima due to the fact that he was a chosen authorities.
In 2020, Chilima partnered with Chakwera to win the governmental election re-run, sweeping to triumph on an anti-corruption platform.
Source
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Al Jazeera and news firms