…4 ex-public officials banned over Sattars corruption
..embarrassment to the President expected to be in USA soon
The United States Government on Wednesday confirmed its view that the Malawi Government is corrupt as four senior former officials, appointed by President Lazarus Chakwera were banned from travelling to the USA.
The decision is a huge embarrassment to the Malawi President who has been trying to have the Sattar’s case go away and in November 2023 authorised further US$5 million payment to a contract initially owned by Sattar’s company.
The President is set to travel to Washington DC next month and the move is a clear message from the American administration of what they think of his administration and the President should re-examine his attendance, our diplomatic analyst said.
“They could have waited for him to return from USA, but they chose this moment and mostly his appointees to embarrass him as not acting or doing enough on corruption. They will continue adding more and more until these people stop paying lip service to corruption,” said our analyst.
You might be safe in Malawi where corruption is massaged but the International community will act the message from Washington DC, as it announced a travel ban for the first of four public officials named in the Zuneth Sattar corruption scandal. The ban includes their wives.
The four-join former Homeland Security Minister Uladi Mussa who was banned after his arrest over corruption at the Ministry. He was jailed but President Lazarus Chakwera pardoned him.
Diplomatic sources claim the batch is bigger as 83 people including Judges, Journalists, Civil Society, journalists, politicians, and public servants were named to have benefitted corruptly from the Malawian born British businessman Zuneth Sattar.
Sattar was arrested by the National Crime Agency in the UK and he is waiting for formal charges, while in Malawi lack of political will and fighting the Anti- Corruption Bureau have weighed down the cases. Those speaking out on the corruption case have either been arrested, intimidated or face threats from state agencies including the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force.
The Police even arrested the Director of the ACB Martha Chizuma as part of continued cover up of the matter which implicates all major parties.
The UK and USA share information on various3 security and financial matters including money laundering.
“The United States stands with Malawians working towards a mnyore just and prosperous nation by promoting accountability for corrupt officials, including advocating for transparency and accountability in government procurement processes” reads a statement posted on US mission website.
The statement continues, “These designations reaffirm the United States commitment to counter corruption, which stifles economic growth and development, hinders investment, and erodes trust in government.”
The banned are Former Secertary for Justice Reyneck Matemba and his wife Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell, former Inspector General of Police George Kainja and his wife Jaqueline de Silva Kainja, for Director of Public Procurement John Suzi Banda and his wife Mariana Ismael Suzi Banda and former Malawi Police Service legal head Mwabi Kaluwa and his partner Bernadette Mwangosi.
The Investigator Magazine has confirmed that President Chakwera and the Malawi Government were informed in advance of the travel bans, making them undesirable to enter the United States of America.
