paladin corrupting malawi authorities

Malawi authorities have been accused of being recipient of corruption from Paladin Africa, a subsidiary of Australia's Paladin Resources Ltd, which was awarded a licence to mine uranium in northern Malawi.
Henry Chimunthu Banda, Minister of Energy and Mines, who negotiated the mining concession to Paladin on behalf of the government of Malawi has been named to have received a “gift” of 18 tankers from Paladin Banda has been awarded the contract for fuel tanker transport to and from the mines at Kayelekera, 40 kilometres west of Karonga district bordering Tanzania.“Chimunthu is being rewarded for his role in helping Paladin get the licence. The company has also rewarded President Bingu wa Mutharika who will get 15 % cut from the tankers contract,” a well placed source in government disclosed.The sources also revealed that Frank Mwenefumbo, deputy minister has been awarded the contract to supply lime that is needed in the mining processing of uranium at Kayelekera. “The contract for tankers given to Chimunthu and that of lime awarded to Mwenefumbo were untendered. In both dubious contracts, President Mutharika has cuts,” said the source. Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in northern city of Mzuzu claimed recently Malawians are not being told the truth about the effects of uranium."Honourable Minister Banda is an interested party. There is no way he can go there and say people are not pappy because government wants this project to take off at all costs and they are not telling the people the effects of uranium mining, " CCJP's John Chawinga recently said.Chimunthu and Mwenefumbo were not readily available for comment.