{"id":3972,"date":"2024-04-17T15:58:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T15:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3972"},"modified":"2024-04-17T15:58:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T15:58:23","slug":"us-bars-4-former-malawi-officials-over-corruption-state-department-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3972","title":{"rendered":"US bars 4 former Malawi officials over corruption, State Department says\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nWashington \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

Matemba expressed surprise when contacted by Reuters.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\nFILE – 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.<\/span>
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Later that year, Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested and charged the country’s vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, over graft allegations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n