This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
Malawi's 'Cashgate' corruption scandal has led to a warrant of arrest for former president Joyce Banda.
Published on June 7, 2020, the warrant was issued by Malawi police in connection with the country's largest financial scandal, which involved the large-scale looting of government coffers.
According to national police spokesman James Kadadzera, 'Malawi fiscal and fraud police have unearthed credible evidence which raises reasonable suspicion that the former president committed offences relating to abuse of office and money laundering.'
Banda has been living in self-imposed exile since she lost the 2014 presidential election to President Peter Mutharika.
She is suspected of abusing her office in the Cashgate scandal, which led to the loss of aid worth around $150 million from international donors.
The scandal, which was discovered in 2013, involved the looting of $30 million by officials in less than six months.
Dozens of civil servants, business people, and politicians have since been implicated in the scam, with some facing jail time.
