President Lazarus Chakwera has expressed his concerns over the United States’ decision to impose travel restrictions on four former senior officials of Malawi and their spouses.
The US government has accused the officials of having a “significant involvement in corruption,” including accepting bribes and other items of value from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service.
The four officials are Reyneck Matemba (former Solicitor General and Principal Secretary for Justice), John Suzi-Banda (former Director of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Agency), Mwabi Kaluba (former Malawi Police Service lawyer), and George Kainja (former police Inspector General).
On April 17, the US Embassy’s Facebook page announced that the four officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering the US.
However, Chakwera questioned the US government’s decision, stating that the officials have not been convicted of any wrongdoing since their cases are still in court.
He said the move undermines the integrity of the country’s judiciary system.
“We will not be a party to that,” he said
Chakwera also added that corrupt practices are more rampant in the United States.
The US embassy stated that endemic corruption stifles Malawi’s economy and that the US is committed to fighting corruption and promoting justice.
The embassy pledged to continue working with those who share the same commitment.
The ban on the four officials extends to their spouses as well. Their names are Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda, Bernadette Mwangosi, and Jacqueline de Silva Kainja.
