Former Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda has dismissed claims that he is hiding from authorities following the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) issuance of an arrest warrant against him.
Sources close to Chithyola say he remains ready to cooperate with investigators and is expected to present himself to the ACB regarding the matter.
According to people close to him, Chithyola had travelled outside Lilongwe on personal and business engagements before news of the warrant emerged.
Those close to the former minister described reports portraying him as “on the run” as misleading and politically motivated, insisting he had not received any formal communication from the ACB before leaving the capital.
They further stated that Chithyola left Lilongwe on Friday evening, while the arrest warrant is believed to have been obtained later that same night.
Questions have also been raised over reports that ACB officials and police officers attempted to arrest him at his residence during the night, with his associates arguing that suspects are usually contacted first and allowed to appear voluntarily.
Meanwhile, the ACB has confirmed obtaining a warrant against Chithyola Banda over allegations of abuse of office linked to the Mega Farms Project. The warrant was issued by the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court on May 8, 2026.
ACB spokesperson Jacqueline Ngongonda said Chithyola is suspected of authorising about K29.5 billion in extra-budgetary funding for the Mega Farms Project without justification, allegedly benefiting the Greenbelt Authority.
He also faces separate allegations of abuse of office and money laundering linked to the East Bridge fertilizer barter deal.
