Share

Malawi president hit by graft scandal

Malawian President Peter Mutharika on Monday faced a growing corruption scandal ahead of next year's election after a leaked report from the country's anti-graft body accused him of fraud.

Civil action groups called for Mutharika to resign over claims that he and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) received about $195 000 from a contractor supplying food rations to the police.

"The information we have been getting is very clear that the president benefitted from that transaction," Gift Trapence of the Civil Service Organisations action group told AFP.

"If he does not resign after 14 days, we will take to the streets."

Mutharika's spokesperson said that the president had done nothing wrong after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report was published in newspapers at the weekend.

"There is no justification for resignation. The record clearly shows that the accusations thrown against him are unfounded," Mgeme Kalilani told AFP.

ACB director Reyneck Matemba confirmed it was probing the contract over police food but declined to give further details.

"We are about to conclude our investigations," he told AFP.

Malawi, one of the world's poorest and aid-dependent countries, will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2019.

Graft cases have recently rocked Malawian politics.

Mutharika was elected in 2014 after his predecessor Joyce Banda was embroiled in the "Cashgate" scandal when government officials siphoned off millions of dollars of public money.

Banda returned to Malawi in April after four years of self-imposed exile and said she was ready to run in the elections against Mutharika.

In April, thousands of Malawians took part in the country's first nationwide anti-government demonstrations since 2011.

The marches, organised by civil action groups, were against alleged corruption and poor governance under Mutharika.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 552 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 795 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE