Update: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has formally acknowledged a complaint alleging that Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson Steven Malondera and other committee members received a K65 million bribe to influence the parliamentary inquiry into the Amaryllis Hotel deal. According to Nyasa Times and AfricaBrief, Acting ACB Director General Gabriel Gift Chembezi confirmed receipt of the complaint in an April 8 letter. Chembezi stated the bureau is currently reviewing how to handle the allegations given their direct overlap with an active parliamentary process.
In legal and constitutional developments, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has challenged an executive order requiring the relocation of its headquarters to Blantyre. AfricaBrief reports that after the Ministry of Lands terminated the Lilongwe lease of the commission on April 7, the MEC issued an April 8 statement declaring its intent to remain at its current premises. The commission noted that the constitutional legality of the presidential directive must be definitively decided by the courts to protect the independence of the electoral body.
In Mchinji District, police were called to a construction site on a former airstrip after workers unearthed four suspected explosive devices. According to Nyasa Times, authorities swiftly deployed a specialised response team from the National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe. Personnel from the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Explosives Unit successfully secured and defused the buried objects.
Meanwhile, police in Phalombe have arrested a suspected witch doctor in connection with property theft at a local cemetery. Face of Malawi reports that the suspect was taken into custody for allegedly stealing a cross from a grave, and authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident.