Malawi's president sacks police chief, suspends top officials for alleged corruption

By Moses Michael-Phiri

LILONGWE, Malawi (AA) - Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera dismissed the country's police chief and suspended two other top officials Tuesday because of corruption allegations.

Chakwera announced in a televised address that Police Inspector General George Kainja has been immediately removed.

The sacking follows allegations that British national and businessman Zuneth Sattar had been bribing public officers in exchange for government contracts.

"I appealed to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to submit a report to my office within 21 days in order to inform Malawians of the full extent of the matter and enable me to make informed decisions that honor the Constitution, respect the rules of natural justice and protect the independence of our institutions," said Chakwera.

He said the anti-corruption agency found that in the four years from 2017 to 2021, the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force awarded 16 contracts worth more than US$150 million to five companies belonging to Sattar, who was arrested last year in the United Kingdom and is on bail. He is facing money laundering charges in the UK.

Chakwera said investigators found that in some contracts, the government was defrauded through unfairly high and inflated prices.

“One example -- the report cited a case involving a military truck available on the market for US$200,000 was being sold to the Malawi Government for over US$1.7 million,” he said.

Chakwera said he would curtail powers to delegate to his Vice President Saulos Chilima after he was named in the anti-corruption agency’s report.

Two top officials -- state house chief of staff Prince Kapondamgaga and director of Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority John Suzi Banda -- have been suspended until cleared by the agency.

The police chief is the second to be removed since Chakwera took office on a zero-tolerance for corruption ticket in 2020.