On the Foreign Scene
Malawi has arrested its Vice President Saulos Chilima and charged him with graft over a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman.
According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the president’s deputy, who has been stripped of his powers, has been charged with several counts of corruption and taking bribes to influence government contracts.
The ACB spokeswoman Egrita Mdala said in a statement that Chilima received advantage in the form of money amounting to $280,000 and other items from the British-Malawian businessman Zuneth Sattar, for the latter’s companies to be awarded Malawi government contracts.
Chilima was due to appear in court on Friday afternoon. Officials and supporters from his United Transformation Movement party had already gathered outside in support.
The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera stripped Chilima of his powers in June when details of the alleged graft first emerged.
Several ministers and former ministers have already been arrested in connection with the case, in which 53 public officials have been accused of receiving money from Sattar between March and October 2021.
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