Chilima charged by the ACB of corruptly pocketing US$280,000 from Zuneth Sattar

Chilima arriving at the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court

* Being a reward to assist Xaviar Limited and Malachitte FZE to be awarded contracts by Malawi Government

* They are companies connected to Sattar who is also on the radar of the British authorities over the same cases

* We have waited for eternity for him to be taken to court so that he can plead—Chisa Mbele

* It was unhealthy to keep the man guessing. He is not guilty till proven so

By Duncan Mlanjira

Curtain falls on once mighty Saulos Chilima, the country’s Vice-President and president for his UTM Party, as he has now been formally arrested and charged by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday on allegation that between March 2021 and October 2021, “he received US$280,000 and other items as advantage from Zuneth Sattar”.

The ACB says the advantage was “a reward for Chilima to assist Xaviar Limited and Malachitte FZE, which are companies connected to Sattar to be awarded contracts by Malawi Government”.

After being interviewed at the ABC offices in Lilongwe, Chilima was taken to court where he was charged on the following counts:

* Three counts of corrupt practices by a public officer contrary to section 24)1) of the Corrupt Practices Act as read with section 34 of the Corrupt Practices Act;

* Two counts of receiving advantage for using influence in regard to contracts contrary to section 29(1) (b) of the Corrupt Practices Act as read with section 34 of the Corrupt Practices Act; and

* One count of failing to make full report to a police officer or an officer of the Bureau that an advantage had been corruptly given contrary to section 36 (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.

People took to social media posting pictures and videos of Chilima’s arrival at Chilima has arrived at the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court amid heavy security manned by the police and Malawi Defence Force.

His party supporters were at the court and are hear in videos clips chanting words of encouragement for the leader.

Commenting on his Facebook page, renowned social issues commentator, Joshua Chisa Mbele said: “I have always supported ACB passionately. Saulos is like my younger brother. I will stand with him to very end.

“We have waited for eternity for him to be taken to court so that he can plead. It was unhealthy to keep the man guessing. He is not guilty till proven so.

“I support the process. It’s painful but that’s the only legal & legitimate process to clear one’s name,” he said.

In response, Bright Siyabu if Chilima is a true politician he will come out clean because a real politician “doesn’t steal since he works for people and their resources but if he stole and found guilty then he is not a politician but a thief and should be kept away from public coffers”.

“Iam optimistic that he is in for that since he started with Airtel, then DPP and MCP. I don’t think he could be dribbling throughout without falling into a net. They say you can’t fool all the people all the time.

“Let’s be sympathetic with Malawi, if you are put in office by the poor who don’t even have a shelter and you think they are your slaves, that is very bad — God forbid.”

In June, when it was revealed that Chilima was amongst those implicated in the corrupt dealings with Sattar, President Lazarus Chakwera withheld his deputy from any delegated duties while waiting for the ACB to substantiate its allegations against him and to make known its course of action in relation to all corruption cases.

 

In announcing this in national address, Chakwera said the Vice-President’s office “is unique in that the Constitution does not provide for his suspension or removal from it by the President” and that “he holds that office by the will of Malawian voters” — which he respects, this is “the best” he could “do for now”.

The President also acted on others implicated that includes the Inspector General (IG) of the Malawi Police, George Kainja, who was found by the ACB to have been recorded through telephone conversations with Sattar — allegedly discussing procurement deals and kickbacks — thereby deemed to have been compromised and has been fired from office.

Sattar is on the radar of bribing public officers in Malawi Government in exchange for government contracts and the President revealed in June that the ACB has found that in the four years between 2017 and 2021, the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force awarded 16 contracts worth over US$150 million to five companies belonging to Sattar.

He also said the ACB has found that in some contracts, “the Malawi Government was defrauded through unfairly high and inflated prices” and that “one example the report cited involved a truck available on the market for US$200,000 being sold to the Malawi Government for over US$1.7 million”.

Chakwera also told Malawians that the ACB furnished him with information that “a total of 53 public officers and former public officers allegedly received money from Mr. Sattar in the eight months between March 2021 and October 2021”.

“These public officers were specifically from Malawi Defence Force, Malawi Police Service, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Malawi Revenue Authority, Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority, Office of the President and Cabinet, Office of the Vice-President, Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Homeland Security, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Tourism, State House, Reserve Bank of Malawi, Financial Intelligence Authority, and even the Anti-Corruption Bureau itself.

“Additionally, the Bureau has found that another set of 31 individuals from the private sector, the media, civil society, and the legal fraternity also received money from Mr. Sattar during those eight months, bringing the total of those on the Bureau’s list to 84.

In August, the ACB also confirmed that they were investigating Chilima over 44 vehicles that his UTM Party procured using one of his friends, which raised eyebrows forcing one of the concerned citizens writing the ACB to investigate the matter.

All the 44 vehicles were registered in the name of Khwesi Nsusa, who is connected to the purchase of the vehicles and has been Chilima’s closest friend since their college days.

Soon after the purchase came into the limelight, private citizen, Gosten Chinseu is reported to have lodged a complaint at ACB which found merit in the request and has launched a full investigation in the matter.