The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has obtained a warrant for arrest of Minister of Lands Kezzie Msukwa in connection with land deals linked to businesspersons Zuneth Sattar and his partner Ashok Nair.
The graft-busting body obtained the warrant from the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court on December 29 2021, but was yet to effect his arrest as we went to press.
But in an interview around 8pm on Thursday, Msukwa said he was at his home in Chitipa and was yet to receive any communication on his warrant of arrest.
“Can you hide in your own country? I have just seen that on social media. I am home in Chitipa,” he said.
Msukwa, who is also member of Parliament for Chitipa East affiliated to Malawi Congress Party, is suspected to have committed three counts of corrupt use of official power in relation to allocation of plots to Sattar, according to the particulars of the warrant.
The warrant for arrest also indicates that the minister received an advantage in form of a Mercedenz Benz C-Class and money from Sattar to be allocated land in Lilongwe.
ACB principal public relations officer Egrita Ndala said in a statement on Thursdaythat the bureau had been investigating allegations that Sattar and his agent Ashok Kumar Sreedharan, also known as Ashok Nair, were giving bribes to “politically exposed persons with the aim of influencing various Malawi Government Departments to corruptly award contracts to companies belonging to Sattar”.
Reads the ACB statement announcing the arrest: “During such investigations, the bureau also established that Zuneth Sattar through his agent Ashok Kumar Sreedharan aka Ashok Nair engaged in some corrupt practices in some land-related matters in Area 46, Lilongwe District and Chipoka in Salima District.
“The investigations have so far established that in relation to the mentioned land matters, Hon Kezzie Msukwa on four occasions corruptly used his official powers contrary to Section 25 (1) as read together with Section 34 of the Corrupt Practices Act.
“The investigations further established that Mr Sattar’s agent Ashok Kumar Sreedharan aka Ashok Nair aided in procuring corrupt use of official powers contrary to Section 35 as read together with Section 25 (2) and Section 34 of the Corrupt Practices Act.”
Nair was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to the bureau’s headquarters in Mulanje House at City Centre in Lilongwe for a caution statement.
Sattar, who is currently based in the United Kingdom, is also facing an investigation by the UK authority, the National Crime Agency, on allegations of corruption in his dealings with the Government of Malawi.
Two weeks ago, the ACB restricted the Ministry of Lands from dealing with some properties connected to Sattar. It affected 86 plots in the capital city linked to Sattar.
Msukwa will become a second member of President Lazarus Chakwera’s Cabinet to be arrested in connection with alleged corruption. Former minister of Energy Newton Kambala was the first in August this year following allegations of fraud and corruption.
In November, Sattar and Nair sought the courts’ intervention to gag print media houses Nation Publications Limited and Times Group from following up stories on the investigations. In a separate application, the two also wanted the court to order the ACB to stop from cooperating with NCA in investigations.
But the High Court of Malawi dismissed both applications on the basis that they lacked merit.
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