Ex-Malawi Immigration Chief Mankhwala charged over ‘passport-gate’, released on bail

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has pressed two charges to former chief immigration officer Hudson Mankhwala who was arrested on Wednesday over passports which were allegedly issued irregularly to non Malawians.

Mankhwala was taken to Lilongwe Magistrate Court where he was formally charged with two counts.

The first charge was neglect of official duty,  contrary to Section 121 of the Penal Code, while the second was abuse of office contrary to Section 25B of the Corrupt Practices Act.

But the court released Mankhwala on bail.

Nyasa Times understand that ACB will arrest more who were involved in the passport ring, including  immigration officer Francisco Scova  who reportedly aided a Burundian with a Malawian passport.

Scova cleared travel documents for a Burundian who was travelling as a Malawian with the names Alex Kelvin Chipeta who destroyed the documents in transit and was apprehended by German airport officials at Frankfurt.

People’s Party acting president and former Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Uladi Mussa is also marked for arrest on the same issue, according to sources.

Burundians have been reportedly  obtaining  and use Malawian passports and with the help of immigration officers fly to Europe where they seek asylum.

Several African nations including Nigerian, Rwandese,  travel  as Malawians going for studies in the West, but tear up the papers once they reach Europe  a development that have led the once –respected Malawian passport to be subject of strict scrutiny in some western nation.