The first two out of 70 defendants are appearing in court in Malawi over the cashgate affair, the biggest corruption scandal in Malawian history. Up to $100m (£60m) was allegedly stolen from government funds, leading to the suspension of international aid. Up to 40% of Malawis annual budget is donor-funded. The issue came to light in September last year after the attempted assassination of the finance ministrys budget director Paul Mphwiyo. Just days before, a junior civil servant was allegedly found with more than $300,000 in cash in the boot of his car. More cash was confiscated from some civil servants homes and car boots. Caroline Savala and Leonard Kalonga, both civil servants, appeared in the court in the capital, Lilongwe, to answer charges of theft and money-laundering. Malawis donors have withheld $150m pending further investigation into the scandal. According to the finance minister, up to $100m is suspected of being stolen altogether.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:50:45 +0000
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