BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — An army aircraft sporting Malawi‘s vp and 9 others went lacking Monday and a seek is underway, the president’s workplace mentioned.The aircraft sporting 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima left the southern African country’s capital, Lilongwe, at 9.17 a.m. however didn’t land as scheduled round 45 mins later at Mzuzu Global Airport, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north.Aviation government misplaced touch with the aircraft when it “went off radar,” in step with a observation from Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera’s workplace. Chakwera ordered a seek operation and canceled a shuttle to the Bahamas, his workplace mentioned.“All efforts to make touch with the airplane because it went off radar have failed up to now,” it mentioned.
Chakwera used to be knowledgeable of the lacking aircraft by way of Gen. Valentino Phiri, the pinnacle of the Malawian defense force. The president ordered nationwide and native government to “habits an instantaneous seek and rescue operation to find the whereabouts of the airplane,” his workplace mentioned.
Chilima have been going through corruption fees over allegations that he gained cash in go back for influencing the awarding of presidency contracts, however the fees had been strangely dropped by way of prosecutors remaining month. That ended in complaint that Chakwera’s management used to be now not taking a troublesome sufficient stance in opposition to graft.
Chilima used to be arrested in past due 2022 and made a number of courtroom appearances, however the trial had now not began. He denied the allegations.
Chilima used to be a candidate within the 2019 Malawian presidential election and completed 3rd. That vote that used to be received by way of incumbent Peter Mutharika however used to be annulled by way of Malawi’s Constitutional Court docket as a result of irregularities. Chakwera completed 2d in that election.Chilima then joined Chakwera’s marketing campaign as his operating mate within the ancient election rerun in 2020, when Chakwera used to be elected president. It used to be the primary time in Africa that an election outcome that used to be overturned by way of a courtroom ended in a defeat for the sitting president.___Imray reported from Cape The town, South Africa.___AP Africa information:
