Four former Malawian government officials have had their entrance to the United States denied due to their alleged serious misconduct, the State Department announced on Wednesday.
The officials named are Reyneck Matemba, a former secretary of justice and solicitor general; John Suzi-Banda, a former director of public procurement and asset disposal; Mwabi Kaluba, a former attorney with the Malawi Police Service; and George Kainja, a former inspector general of the Malawi Police Service, according to the department.
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.
“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.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has waged a crackdown on corruption in recent years.
He dismissed all of the Cabinet members in January 2022 due to allegations of corruption against three ministers who were still in office.
Later that year, Saulos Klaus Chilima, the vice president of Malawi, was detained and accused with graft by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the nation.
The committee has been looking into claims that public officials in Malawi have been embezzling money from the government by influencing contracts that are awarded through the public procurement system in the nation.
Almost 75% of people in Malawi, one of the poorest nations on earth, survive on less than $2 per day. Despite its diminutive size, it is in the top 10 populations in Africa.
