Malawi president strips his deputy of powers over $150 million corruption scandal

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera on Tuesday relieved his Vice President Saulos Chilima of all delegated powers after the latter was named in a corruption scandal that has rocked the country.

A probe into procurement fraud by the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) concluded that 53 current and former public officers received money from British-Malawian businessman Zuneth Sattar between March and October 2021, Chakwera said.

Sattar is being investigated in Britain and Malawi on corruption, fraud, and money-laundering charges.

According to Malawi’s constitution, Chakwera cannot suspend or remove Chilima because he is an elected official.

“The best I can do for now… is to withhold from his office any delegated duties while waiting for the bureau to substantiate its allegations against him,” said Chakwera.

There was no immediate response from Chilima, who partnered with Chakwera to win the 2020 presidential election on an anti-corruption platform.