Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima arrested

Malawi Vice-President Saulos Chilima is facing corruption allegations. [Courtesy]

Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested the country's Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima for allegedly receiving Sh34 million ($280,000) from British tycoon Zuneth Sattar in exchange of government tenders.

ACB says Chilima, 49, allegedly received the bribe between March 2021 and October 2021.

ACB further claims that Sattar gave out the bribe to the vice-president so that his companies, Xavier Limited and Malachitte FZE, could be awarded government tenders.

Xavier, a private limited company, said on its profile that it was involved in "support activities".

"Dr Chilima will be taken to court where he is expected to be charged as follows: three counts of corrupt practices by a public officer, two counts of receiving advantage for using influence in regard to contracts and one count of failing to make a full report to a police officer or an officer of the bureau that an advantage had been corruptly given," said Egrita Ndala, the spokesperson of Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau, on Friday, November 25.

Controversy-riddled Xavier Limited, which was founded on May 20, 2017, was dissolved on October 13, 2020.

The company's headquarters was in Bolton, England.