Malawi has fired 68 civil servants for embezzling $2 million (1.71 million euros) in public funds, an official said Thursday, as the country tries to crack down on corruption that has seen donors withdraw support.
Employees at the agricultural ministry have been accused of running a scheme of inflated salaries or payments for non-existent workers between 2012 and 2014.
“Sixty-eight officers have been dismissed and their cases referred to the attorney general for prosecution,” Osborne Tsoka, the ministry’s spokesman, said in a statement.
A probe showed most of the money was stolen by accounts personnel at the ministry’s headquarters in Lilongwe and at research stations.
Malawi’s 180,000 civil servants earn an average of about $100 (85 euros) a month, and corruption is widespread in the public sector.
In 2013 several high-ranking officials were implicated in the “Cashgate” scandal, when millions of dollars were stolen from government coffers.
International donors pulled the plug on aid of around $150 million after it was revealed that at least $30 million was stolen over one six-month period scrutinised by auditors.
Scores of civil servants, politicians and business people implicated in “Cashgate” are facing criminal charges, though only four have been convicted.
AFP
A victim of the stampede that occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, which has claimed…
The vibrant Osun State is no stranger to captivating events and headlines that draw attention…
As of today, December 22, 2024, the Nigerian naira has depreciated to an unprecedented level…
Osun Country Club (OCC) has announced that it is set for the grand launching of…
Former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was on Saturday, honoured with an award of…
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State on Saturday, announced that his administration has approved the…
This website uses cookies.