The United States of America has barred four former high-ranking officials of the Malawi Government and their spouses from entering that country due to what it calls “their significant involvement in corruption”.
According to a statement on the US Embassy Facebook page, the individuals are former Solicitor General and Principal Secretary for Justice, Reyneck Matemba, former Director of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets, John Suzi-Banda, former lawyer of the Malawi Police Service Mwabi Kaluba and George Kainja, former Inspector General of Police.
The US Department of State accuses Matemba, Suzi-Banda, Kaluba, and Kainja of “misusing their public positions by accepting bribes and other favours from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service”.
According to the Embassy, endemic corruption hampers Malawi’s economic growth and has since pledged collaboration with those committed to fight corruption and promote justice.
The travel ban also applies to the spouses of the four officials: Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda, Bernadette Mwangosi, and Jacqueline de Silva Kainja.
