Former Army Head arrested over $4.4 million corruption allegation

General Henry Odillo, Malawi's former head of army, alongside his former deputy  Lieutenant Colonel Clement Kafuwa have been arrested over a multi-million dollar corruption allegation.

The duo are accused of arranging a contract to supply military equipment which was never delivered, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has detained them as part of an on going investigation into government corruption known as "cashgate".

According to a statement from ACB, the two military men may be facing charges of abuse of public office, negligence by a public officer in preserving money and money laundering.

Reports say that neither of them have commented on the allegations.

According to BBC, several civil servants have been charged in the "cashgate" investigations and so far there have been at least five convictions.

The scandal has also reportedly revealed several cases of money being spent without services being provided.

The "cashgate" issue came to light in September 2013 after the attempted assassination of the finance ministry's budget director Paul Mphwiyo, while just days before, a junior civil servant was allegedly found with more than $300,000 (N59 million) in cash in the boot of his car.

More cash was confiscated from some civil servants' homes and car boots.