Sumbuleta gets behind bars

Police in Blantyre on Saturday arrested former Malawi Broadcasting Corporatiom (MBC) Director General Aubrey Sumbuleta.

Sumbuleta, according to Malawi Police Service national spokesperson James Kadadzera, was picked by the law enforcers from his Mpingwe Township home in Limbe.

The arrest followed recommendations from the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) inquiry which found him guilty on sexual abuse of female employees at MBC.

“He is currently in police custody at Limbe Police Station,” Kadadzera said.

The investigation by the MHRC established on March 30 2021 that Sumbuleta, when he was head of the institution, sexually abused female staff in his office.

MHRC, after finding him guilty, recommended compensation for victims and his prosecution for indecent assault.

The State’s human rights body stated that Sumbuleta should be prosecuted under the Gender Equality Act (GEA), which he allegedly contravened through his actions.

The investigation, ignited by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) Women Chapter through a petition in July last year, established that at least eight women were allegedly harassed by the former MBC boss during his tenure.

Some female employees testified, but some that also allegedly fell victims opted not to testify as they had not informed their spouses about the alleged incidents and did not want the public limelight.

The findings allege that Sumbuleta used to either inappropriately touch the victims or force himself onto them and whenever they turned down his advances, they were frustrated through demotions or transfers, among others.

These developments, the probe established, compelled some to resign from the institution.