Five individuals, including two Small-holder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) clerks, have been arrested by Mangochi Police for allegedly soliciting bribes from beneficiaries of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
The suspects, identified as John Kamwana aged 29, Yafeti Mwale aged 26, Eunice Moyo aged 60, Idrissah Richard aged 52, and Hassan Mzenda aged 39, were arrested at the Makawa SFFRFM Depot over the weekend.
According to Mangochi Police Public Relations Officer, Amina Tepani Daudi, the suspects were demanding an extra K20,000 from each beneficiary on top of the government-set price for fertilizer.
The police received a tip-off from well-wishers and arrested the suspects with K1.1 million, believed to have been obtained from 55 beneficiaries.
The suspects have admitted to committing the offence and are currently in police custody. They will appear before court to answer charges of abuse of office and fraud other than false pretence once the necessary paperwork is completed.
Police are warning the public against paying extra money and urging them to report such cases.
The suspects are from various villages in the district, with Kamwana hailing from Kadyalunda Village, Balaka District, and Mwale from Kaipa Village, Machinga District.
The three middle persons, Moyo, Richard, and Mzenda, are from Mkali Village, Mangochi District.
