The United States has barred four former officials of the Malawi government from entry, the State Department said on Wednesday.

The Department of State announced on Wednesday that the public designations of former Solicitor General and Principal Secretary of Justice Reyneck Matemba, former Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Agency Director John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Service Attorney Mwabi Kaluba, and former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja, as generally ineligible for entry into the US, due to their involvement in significant corruption.

The State Department said Matemba, Suzi-Banda, Kaluba, and Kainja abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other articles of value from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service.

“These designations reaffirm the United States’ commitment to counter corruption, which stifles economic growth and development, hinders investment, and erodes trust in government.

“These public designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. F, P.L. 118-47).”

The Department said it was also designating Matemba’s spouse, Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell; Suzi-Banda’s spouse, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda; Kaluba’s spouse, Bernadette Mwangosi; and Kainja’s spouse, Jacqueline de Silva Kainja, as generally ineligible for entry into the United States.