Batatawala, 1 other arrested
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested businessperson Abdul Karim Batatawala for alleged conspiracy to defraud the Malawi Government and a Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services senior officer on suspicion of abuse of office.
In a written response to a questionnaire on Wednesday, ACB director general Martha Chizuma said Batatawala was picked in relation to suspected corrupt practices in the procurement contracts for uniforms and other accessories at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services between 2009 and 2012.
She also said the bureau arrested the department’s commissioner responsible for operations Fletcher Nyirenda in connection with the award of the contract to the businessperson.
And in a statement announcing the arrests later on Wednesday ACB, senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala said the bureau’s investigations established that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services awarded the contract to Abdul Karim Batatawala without following procurement procedures, leading to the Malawi Government losing about K4.7 billion.
She said: “Mr. Batatawala is likely to be charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 323 of the Penal Code. Mr. Fletcher Nyirenda is likely to be charged with one count of abuse of office contrary to Section 25 B (1) as read with Section 35 of the Corrupt Practices Act and conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 303 of the Penal Code.”
Ndala said the duo would be taken to court after their interview by the bureau.
In recent years, Batatawala has emerged as one of the major suppliers of goods and services to government ministries, departments and agencies, including security agencies such as Malawi Police Service and Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.
Batatawala’s arrest comes a day after Malawi Government announced it had engaged authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assist it to recover unspecified sums of money suspected to be illicit which the businessperson and others allegedly stashed overseas.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Steven Kayuni confirmed the move in a written response to a questionnaire on Tuesday, but said progress was dependent on the cooperation of foreign governments.
The State agencies involved in the operation include the DPP, the Office of the Attorney General (AG), the ACB and the Financial Intelligence Authority.
Kayuni said Batatawala was not the only target as other persons also believed to have been involved in such alleged clandestine activities in other countries were also on the radar.
In a separate interview on Tuesday, AG Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda said they are determined to recover from some local firms at least K50 billion stashed in offshore bank accounts in different countries.
But when asked in an interview Tuesday for his reaction on the claims, Batatawala said he knew nothing about the allegations the government agencies were raising.
The AG has since debarred some companies owned by businesspersons of Asian descent, including Batatawala, for allegedly making huge and questionable claims against government.
