2 top army officers arrested in Malawi’s corruption probe
May 13, 2015, 4:55 AM
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Two former military officers have been arrested in Malawi in an ongoing corruption probe.
Cmdr. Gen. Henry Odillo and his former deputy, Lt. Col. Clement Kafuwa, were arrested after an investigation, said Egrita Ndala, spokeswoman for Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau. The two men are allegedly linked to behind a deal that saw the Malawian Army pay about $4.4 million for military uniforms that were never delivered, she said.
The arrest is the latest development in an investigation that began in 2013 under former President Joyce Banda. Dubbed “cashgate,” the probe showed that dozens of civil servants had siphoned off about $60 million in government funds by colluding with business leaders to make payments for goods and services that never materialized.
International donors responded to the corruption scandal by freezing aid to the impoverished southern African nation. Nearly half of Malawi’s budget depends on donor aid.
More than half of Malawi’s 16 million people live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day, according to the World Bank.
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