Malawi ex-ministers exposed
2004-07-23 13:32
Blantyre - Several ministers under Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi are to face charges connected with the embezzlement of some $92m dollars from the state, the chief prosecutor said on Friday.
"I am sad to report to the entire nation and donor community that 10bn kwacha ($92m, R568m) were lost through fraud and corruption involving some former cabinet ministers," said Ishmael Wadi, newly appointed director of public prosecutions.
The embezzlement took place during the two terms in office of Muluzi from 1994 to May this year when he handed power to his chosen successor Bingu wa Mutharika, said Wadi who took over the position last week.
The new chief prosecutor said he's building a case against the unnamed ministers.
"I am working on the files. I wanted the nation to know how funds were abused and action is coming in due course. What we need is to let anyone involved in corruption or fraud face the law regardless of their status or standing in society," Wadi said.
International donors have said that corruption in Malawi, one of the world's poorest nations, is on the rise. Malawi now ranks 83rd on the list of the world's most corrupt countries from watchdog group Transparency International, down from 43 four years ago.
More than $75m in aid was suspended in 2002 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and donor countries, including from former colonial ruler Britain, due to concerns over spending in the Muluzi administration.
The World Bank, one of the main sponsors of the country's tough economic reforms, has said high-level graft had worsened in the past five years and "significantly slowed down economic growth".
The institution says it wants the agriculture-powered economy to grow by an average of 6% per year to reduce grinding poverty. The economy has grown by only two percent in the past few decades.