Vice President Saulos Chilima, who is alleged to have received about K290 million in bribes, met the new Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Yoichi Oya yesterday on behalf of the Malawi Government.
During the meeting which took place at Capital Hill, Chilima told the ambassador that the government of Malawi appreciates the assistance – technical and humanitarian – that it recieves from the Japanese government.
“As government we welcome His Excellency Ambassador Oya to Malawi and we will ensure that his stay is memorable as we continue to strengthen relations between Tokyo and Lilongwe,” said Chilima.
The meeting between Chilima and the Japanese ambassador comes months after Chakwera announced in June last year that he had stopped delegating duties to Chilima following allegations that the vice president received $280,000 (K290 million) in bribes from a British businessman Zuneth Sattar.
In November last year, Chilima was arrested and charged with six counts related to corruption. The vice president denies the charges.
Sattar is alleged to have bribed over 50 government officials in Malawi to use their influence to help him get government supply contracts. It is alleged that the businessperson used the contracts to defraud the Malawi Government of billions of Kwacha.
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