The US Embassy in Malawi has accused government officials of abetting fraudulent visa applications. In a stunning revelation, the US Chief of Mission to Malawi disclosed that a powerful syndicate involving ministers and senior officials is orchestrating the abuse of diplomatic privileges.
According to the Chief of Mission, government leaders are allegedly issuing diplomatic passports to known criminals and individuals they are fully aware will overstay their visas or engage in illegal work once in the United States.
The diplomatic overstay rate for Malawi is nearly 10%, significantly higher than the usual 1% or less for diplomatic or official passports. This has raised concerns about the potential impact on visa processing for legitimate travellers.
“It’s never good when diplomatic notes are weak,” Diaz said. “And I realize it was an accident by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and they have reached out apologizing. But, you know, this shows the improper conduct of the use of diplomatic notes.”
Diaz further highlighted the severity of the issue, stating, “We’re getting diplomatic notes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting visas for holders of official or diplomatic passports, and they are travelling to the United States, and they are overstaying the visa they’ve been given, or they are applying for asylum, or they are illegally working in the United States.”
A specific case cited by Diaz involved 43 requests for visas for the IMF spring meetings, including one individual who had previously travelled to the meetings and brought two others who failed to return to Malawi. “One of them has already applied for asylum, and the other one appears to be in the process of applying for asylum,” Diaz said.
The US Embassy has emphasized the need for stricter visa processing to protect the integrity of the visa system and ensure that legitimate travellers, such as students and businesspeople, are not affected by the actions of a few individuals.
Diaz also mentioned a case involving a Malawian diplomat named Jane Kambalambe, who was found liable in a US civil court for a $1 million judgment due to her mistreatment of personal staff.
“Unfortunately, this person still has a senior position with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Diaz said.
This has led to a more deliberate and lengthy visa processing procedure for Malawian officials and diplomats.
Malawi, through its Minister of Information, Moses Kunkuyu, is yet to comment on the accusations.
