By Clement Mwase
John Suzi Banda has resigned as the Chairperson of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA). Secretary to Treasury Macdonald Mafuta Mwale has confirmed.Banda is on the list of individuals named as beneficiaries of UK-based businessman Zuneth Sattar’s fat wallet.
Banda has announced his resignation in a letter to the Ministry of Finance. Controller of Statutory Corporations, Peter Simbani, has confirmed that Banda has resigned but did not provide reasons for his decision.
The PPDA approves government procurement contracts before they are awarded to companies.
Last month, President Lazarus Chakwera suspended Banda after he was mentioned as one of the persons who have been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau to the extent that it was concluded that they dealt corruptly with Sattar.
Others who were suspended by Chakwera include Vice President Saulos Chilima and Chief of Staff Residences Prince Kapondamgaga.
Sattar is alleged to have bribed 53 public officers in 2021. Between 2017 and 2021, Sattar’s companies secured contracts worth 150 billion Kwacha in Malawi. The businessperson is on bail in the UK.
