This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
On July 6, 2019, the US government imposed a travel ban on Uladi Mussa, a special adviser to Malawi's president, due to corruption charges.
Mussa was arrested in 2017 by Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau, alongside a senior immigration official, on charges of fraudulently issuing citizenship and passports to people from Burundi and Rwanda.
According to court documents, Mussa committed the offense in 2013 when he was minister of home affairs during the administration of former President Joyce Banda.
Mussa has denied the charges, but the US State Department stated that it has credible information connecting him to corruption.
“We have laws on that, under Section 7031 (c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act, which required us to designate him as a person of corruption,” said Douglas Johnson, the public affairs officer at the US embassy in Malawi.
The US government also extended the travel ban to Mussa's spouse, Cecilia. Neither will be allowed to enter US territory.
Malawi's government has been criticized for not doing enough to address corruption, with some calling for Mussa's removal from his position until all court matters are resolved.
