Malawi Police have arrested a Chanco Radio Journalist, accusing him of spreading fake news that heads of the Police and Malawi Army have been interdicted over Covid-19 funds.
Malawi Police spokesperson James Kadadzera has confirmed the arrested of the Journalist Raymond Siyaya in Zomba.
“It is believed that the reporter published and shared the fake news on social media platforms alleging that Malawi Defense Force (MDF) Commander, Inspector General of Malawi Police Service and the head of National Intelligence Services have been interdicted for mismanaging Covid-19 funds allocated in their respective clusters,” said Kadadzera.
He added that Siyaya is in custody at Zomba Police Station and is likely to be charged with publication of offensive communication and circulating false information.
The Malawi Police, the Malawi Army and the National Intelligence Services (NIS) are among security agencies that received Covid-19 funds last year.
According to published reports, the police received K100 million while the Malawi Army requested K272 million for providing security at Bingu Field Hospital at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe for three months.
Reports show that a huge chunk of the K6.2 billon, which government released for Covid-19 response last year, was mismanaged.
