The portal says Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) deputy director Reyneck Matemba predicts more arrests as law enforcement officials follow up a report by the British forensic audit firm Baker Tilly which outlined the scam and named additional suspects.
The most recent arrests included the former Ministry of Finance budget director, Paul Mphwiyo; his wife; and three others, the Deputy Inspector General of Police Nelson Bophani, former People’s Party senior member Hophmally Makande and businessman Clement Chibvunde, reports Voice of America.
Mphwiyo and his wife were arrested for money laundering, theft and conspiracy to defeat the course of justice. His wife was granted bail on Oct. 19 due to poor health, says The Global Post.
Matemba said that the latest arrests are a milestone in the continuing Cashgate prosecutions.
According to the report, more than US$ 30 million was stolen between April and September 2013.
The first person convicted in the Cashgate scandal was former principal secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Treza Namathanga Senzani on Oct. 8, who pleaded guilty to stealing about US$ 150,000 and received a three-year jail sentence, reports Voice of America.
The Malawi government has called on those involved in the scandal to turn themselves in to the police or the ACB in order to save time and taxpayer’s money, reports Nyasa Times.
