Malawi Energy Minister Newton Kambala Arrested Over Fuel Tender Scam

Image: Africa Press

Faizel Patel – 10/08/2021

Malawi’s anti-corruption police have arrested Energy Minister Newton Kambala, accusing him of trying to bribe officials in a fuel-purchase deal for the landlocked country.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau says its investigations had revealed that the minister had “attempted to influence” the National Oil Company of Malawi to award multi-million dollar fuel supply contracts to three companies.

President Lazarus Chakwera’s senior advisor Chris Chaima Banda was also arrested.

Kambala is chairman of vice-president Saulos Chilima’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) a coalition partner Chakwera’s Malawi Congress party.

Chakwera who came to power on promises of fighting corruption in April this year fired his labour minister for diverting COVID-19 funds to pay for government trip to South Africa.

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

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