Malawi police on Monday arrested the country's ex-Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamveka and four other former government officials for allegedly embezzling the equivalent of around $250 million at two state-owned companies.
Former secretary to the president Lloyd Muhara, former treasury secretary Cliff Chiunda and the former CEO of Malawi's energy regulatory authority Collins Magalasi were also amongst those arrested for the alleged graft worth 447.5 billion kwacha ($258 million) at the Salima Sugar Company and Greenbelt Initiative.
The suspects' lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale confirmed the arrests.
In a statement, Malawi police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said the arrests followed a 2023 audit of the Salima Sugar Company that revealed huge amounts of misused funds.
Served under former president
Police in 2023 had already arrested former Salima director Shierish Betgiri and three others.
"The arrest of the five today brings the total number of arrested suspects to nine," said the police statement, adding that authorities were looking for Greenbelt Initiative's former acting CEO Henry Njoloma, who remains on the run.
All five will be presented before "a competent court of law" once police have finished taking their statements, the police note said.
The arrested ex-officials served from 2014 to 2020 under former president Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The party was ousted from power by President Lazarus Chakwera in 2020 and is now the country’s main opposition party.
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