By Mercy Matonga
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it will investigate if any law has been broken after the government made payments to United Kingdom (UK)-based businessman Zuneth Sattar, who is the subject of an investigation both in Malawi and UK for alleged corruption.
Consequently, all his government contracts were announced to have been cancelled.
The bureau made the statement Monday in response to a questionnaire by The Daily Times following controversy ignited by Monday’s revelations by this newspaper that the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) has already made part-payment amounting to $4,983,400 to International Armoured Group, a Sattar-linked company.
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ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala said the bureau will probe the matter.
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Asked specifically if the payments for a contract which the government announced was cancelled were lawful or a breach of the law, Ndala responded: “There is [a] need for a fresh investigation to establish circumstances surrounding this.”
On whether the ACB was consulted before the payment, Ndala said: “Government does not consult the bureau when making payments to suppliers. Therefore, there was no consultation on this matter.”
She said, legally, ACB’s hands to stop payments from contracts under investigation were restrained when the Attorney General announced the cancellation of the contracts, adding that the bureau was not informed before the payment was made for it to take any action to stop the payment.
“The bureau issued a Restriction Notice on 1st November 2021. The Attorney General cancelled the contracts thereafter in January 2021. This means that the Restriction Notice automatically fell off as it cannot apply on a cancelled contract,” Ndala said.
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She said the ACB has not stopped Sattar investigations, saying “all Zuneth Sattar-related investigations are open and are continuing within the bureau”.
Quizzed why the bureau did not seek a fresh restriction order after the government previously also paid Sattar despite claiming to have cancelled the contracts, Ndala said the bureau is not aware of previous payments.
“The bureau was not informed of this payment for the APCs. We got information of this payment also through the media,” Ndala said.
In a statement and through interviews Monday, we learned that 12 civil society organisations (CSOs) that operate in the governance sector have demanded the immediate suspension of all dealings with companies belonging to the businessman and described the government’s actions as a big blow to the fight against corruption in the country.
Among other things, the CSOs demanded the immediate suspension of the deal.
“The government’s revival of the armored vehicles deal with Sattar, despite a restriction order from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, reveals a disregard for due process. The subsequent transfer of the deal to International Armoured Group and the diversion of substantial funds raise concerns about the potential breaches of anti-corruption laws and procurement regulations,” the statement reads.
In a separate interview, Youth and Society Executive Director Charles Kajoloweka, one of signatories to the CSOs statement, condemned what he termed as a clandestine attempt to revive the sale agreement for 16 military armoured vehicles, previously cancelled by the Attorney General on January 11 2022.
“This shocking move raises serious concerns about the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the rule of law. Beyond legal violations, this covert deal perpetuates corruption, betrays public trust and jeopardises national security,” Kajoloweka said.
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda was yet to respond to our questions as we went to press.
