Two NOCMA bosses arrested over K700 million fraud scandal — as Malawi police reveal exact account used to divert cash to Mozambique

Two senior officials from the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) have been arrested over the alleged fraudulent transfer of $403,615.63 — roughly K700 million — in a dramatic escalation of the scandal engulfing Malawi’s state fuel importer.

Malawi Police Service (MPS) Deputy National Public Relations Officer Alfred Chimthere confirmed the arrests in a statement issued Wednesday evening, naming the suspects as 54-year-old Miklas Reuben, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, and 49-year-old Thokozani Jacob Sesani, Senior Operations Manager — two of the most senior figures within NOCMA’s leadership.

According to Chimthere, the pair are likely to face charges of negligence by a public officer in preserving money, alongside misuse of public office and other related offences, as police continue to build their case.

In a striking level of detail, police disclosed that the disputed funds were allegedly transferred to account number 237055126003, belonging to Moniray Mozhandlings Lda, with the transfer purportedly made to cover loading and clearing charges for fuel shipments at the ports of Beira and Nacala in Mozambique.

“They are expected to appear before the Court soon. Meanwhile, investigations into the matter are ongoing,” the statement read in part.

The arrests represent a major development in the unfolding scandal, which first came to light after NOCMA admitted falling victim to a sophisticated fraud, in which criminals reportedly intercepted email communications and submitted forged banking details posing as a legitimate service provider.

With both suspects now expected to face court proceedings imminently, attention will turn to whether further arrests follow as investigators continue working to establish the full scale of the fraud and how such a substantial sum came to be diverted in the first place.