Malawi ex-MP up for corruption
2007-11-02 15:03
Blantyre - A former Malawian minister who was also a top aide to retired President Bakili Muluzi has finally been charged with three counts of abuse of office dating back 14 years, say court officials.
Former education minister Sam Mpasu had a case to answer and should "defend himself" on November 27, said a spokesperson for the magistrate's court in the capital, Lilongwe.
He was accused of having flouted government procedures in procuring millions of notebooks and pencils from a British firm.
Mpasu, who survived initial corruption probes on the same matter, was suspected of having received kickbacks in return for awarding the tender to the company.
The materials were meant for a free primary school programme introduced in 1994 by the Muluzi administration. A former speaker of parliament, Mpasu had always denied any wrongdoing.
He said he used his powers as minister to fast-track the procurement of the notebooks and teaching aids to coincide with the introduction of free primary school education.
The public prosecutions office in the poor southern African nation had said about $92m was lost through fraud and corruption from 1994 to 2004, when Muluzi was in power.