Businessperson Zunneth Sattar appeared before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he was released on conditional bail ahead of a further hearing in the case at Southwark Crown Court, which is expected to take place on June 26.
Sattar is facing 18 charges related to obtaining or retaining business or advantage in the conduct of business, bribed a foreign public official with the intention of influencing his capacity as a foreign public official.
Those named in the charges include former vice president, late Saulos Chilima, State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga, former Malawi Police Service (MPS) Inspector General (IG) George Kainja and former Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Reyneck Matemba.
According to Law360, it is alleged that Sattar bribed foreign officials between December 2020 and September 2021. Sattar also faces two charges under the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 related to his company Xaviar Ltd., according to prosecutors.
Sattar, who appeared at the court via a video call, did not indicate how he intended to plead to the charges.
The publication further said the District Judge Tan Ikram released Sattar, of Leicester, central England, on conditional bail ahead of a further hearing in the case at Southwark Crown Court, which is expected to take place on June 26.
Edward Brown KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman, counsel for the prosecution, said that the charges concerned alleged bribes paid by Sattar or his agents to “high-ranking officials” in the Malawi government in return for the awarding of contracts to companies he controlled.
he contracts that were allegedly awarded in return for the bribes included a $28 million contract for anti-riot equipment, a $7.8 million contract for food rations packages, the barrister said. They also allegedly included a contract worth approximately $20 million for 32 armored personnel carriers, Brown added.
Simon Farrell KC of Three Raymond Buildings, representing Sattar, said that his client had first been arrested during a National Crime Agency investigation in October 2021, and was arrested on a second occasion in March 2022.
The prosecution is represented by Edward Brown KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman, instructed by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Sattar is represented by Simon Farrell KC of Three Raymond Buildings. Full counsel details for Sattar were not immediately available.
