Corruption in Malawi

The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Malawi has arrested 13 public officers on corruption charges. They come from different government departments including the Malawi Police Service.
Egrita Ndala, spokesperson at the graft busting body, announced the arrests following complaints from the general public on differing corrupt practices.

The two police officers will answer charges for corrupt charges by public officers contrary to section 24(1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.

The officers allegedly received a tobacco bale valued at about US$140.83 as an inducement to release two suspects from police custody. They are also accused of obtaining cash to transport the two suspects to the police unit.

In the Department of Civil Aviation, four officers have been picked up for various corrupt offences in the course of procurement of goods and services. They all denied the charge and were released on bail.

Seven officers were picked from the Department of forestry at the Chikangawa Forest Reserve, Malawi's biggest tree plantation and forex earner through timber. They are alleged to have received bribes from timber merchants in order to allocate plots to them for timber sewing.

The merchants did not pay any appropriate fees to government. Five of them are Pests and Disease Control monitors. Four of their colleagues are at large.

Meanwhile, an Assistant Human Resource Management officer at Capital Hill at the government headquarters in the capital city, Lilongwe, was also arrested for soliciting US$50 from a retired civil servant.