U.S. bans four former Malawian officials for corruption, State Department says

The United States has banned four former Malawi government officials from entering the country because of alleged serious corruption, the State Department said on Wednesday.

The designated officials include former Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice Reyneck Matemba, former Director of Public Procurement and Asset Disposal John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Lawyer Mwabi Kaluba and former Inspector General of Malawi Police George Kainja, the department said .

The State Department said the four “abused their official positions by accepting bribes and other items of value from private business people” in exchange for government police contracts.

Commerce Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement: “The United States stands with the people of Malawi in our efforts to build a country by promoting accountability for corrupt officials, including by advocating for transparency and integrity in government procurement processes. A more just and prosperous nation.”

Matemba expressed surprise in an interview with Reuters.

“I am still in Malawi and have not been abroad since 2021. I am on bail so I cannot travel as my passport is technically in the custody of the police,” Matemba said.

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has launched a crackdown on corruption in recent years. In January 2022, he dismissed the country’s entire cabinet on corruption charges against three sitting ministers.

Later that year, Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested and charged the country’s vice-president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, on corruption charges.

The organization has been investigating Malawi’s public officials for allegedly looting state resources by influencing the award of contracts through the country’s public procurement system.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with nearly three-quarters of the population living on less than $2 a day. Although it is small in area, its population density ranks among the top ten in Africa.