Cables have alleged that the Central Region Water Board (CRWB) Director of Finance, Chifunilo Kalimapanjira, has allegedly been absconding police bail for the past five years in connection with the alleged theft of billions of kwacha from the Export Development Fund (EDF).
According to the cables, Kalimapanjira was previously arrested together with alleged foreign accomplices linked to Transglobe but later stopped reporting for police bail after the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) came into power.
The cables further claim that this failure to report was allegedly done on the instructions of Richard Chimwendo Banda, who at the time was serving as Minister of Homeland Security.
The same sources allege that following the change of government, Kalimapanjira was appointed Director of Finance at the National Intelligence Service and was later transferred to a similar position at the Central Region Water Board.
It is claimed that while at CRWB, he has allegedly been involved in questionable procurement and contract dealings that have resulted in the loss of public funds.
Additionally, the cables claim that funds allegedly obtained from these activities, including money linked to the EDF case, were invested in several entertainment businesses in and around Lilongwe, including bars in Lumbadzi and Bwandilo, among them Genovese Bar.
The cables further allege that he has acquired other establishments such as Illusions Bar at Golden Peacock, Garden Bar at Six Miles, and additional properties as a way to launder money for MCP officials.
Meanwhile, the Central Region Water Board has in recent years faced criticism over a series of controversial contracts and projects, with allegations that significant amounts of taxpayers’ money have been lost.