Update: Following his earlier arrest and bail regarding the Eastbridge fertiliser deal, former Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda faces a fresh legal challenge. According to Face of Malawi, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) obtained a warrant for his arrest over allegations of abuse of office linked to the Mega Farms Project. Investigators accuse Chithyola Banda of authorising K29.5 billion in extra-budgetary funding for the project without proper justification. In response, his camp strongly rejected claims that he is evading justice. Aides told AllAfrica that the former minister is not on the run and had left Lilongwe for personal engagements before any official notification was issued by the ACB.
In southern Malawi, police have arrested nine more people in Nsanje District for allegedly spreading false claims about vanishing genitals, bringing the total number of suspects to 14. Nyasa Times reports that the individuals claimed their private parts disappeared after encounters with strangers. Medical examinations at Nsanje District Hospital confirmed that all complainants were fully intact with no abnormalities. Law enforcement officials warned that the fabricated stories are fueling unnecessary panic and increasing the risk of retaliatory mob violence.
Meanwhile, six prominent figures have joined a High Court dispute over discontinued corruption cases, according to Nyasa Times. Former Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha, UTM Party president Dalitso Kabambe, and businessman Leston Mulli are among those admitted as interested parties in the judicial review. Three senior lawyers are currently challenging the State over the termination of their contracts as special prosecutors and the decision to drop several complex fraud cases. The affected politicians and officials argue that a court ruling in favour of the lawyers could result in the reopening of criminal charges against them. The Financial Crimes Division of the High Court has adjourned the matter to June 11.