BLANTYRE, August 1 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior aide of Malawi former president Bakili Muluzi was arrested over allegations of fraud and corruption, a senior Malawi government official said Saturday.

Malawi's top state prosecutor, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Ishael Wadi, said Humphrey Mvula, the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) deputy Director of Research, was arrested in the commercial capital, Blantyre, Friday night.

"We have been investigating several fraud and corruption allegations surrounding Mvula and several other people and we haveto arrest him to secure evidence and to prevent him from interfering with the available evidence," he said.

The 32-year-old DPP, whose appointment by President Mutharika sparked controversy for his lack of legal experience, said Mvula is likely to spend a few more days behind bars.

"I do not think we are being vindictive. We just need more timeto do a thorough job without him in a position of interfering," hesaid.

Wadi said Mvula, a trusted aide of ex-president Muluzi's, has been under joint probe by fiscal police and the state-run corruption-busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), following allegations of shady deals in the state-run bus company,Shire Buslines for which he is Chief Executive.

The state prosecutor said investigations have shown that millions of dollars were pilfered from the company through dubiouspurchases of spare parts.

"For example, we have discovered that companies that were sub-contracted to supply new acquisitions of buses or spare parts wereeither his own or connected to him through relations and friends,"he said.

The arrest of Mvula has sent shock waves within the UDF and theinner circle of ex-president Muluzi. Since assuming office following the May 20 general election, President Bingu wa Mutharika has been talking tough on corruption, promising "very soon all corrupt officials will have nowhere to run to."

Already, the Mutharika administration has announced several senior ministers in the Muluzi administration will be prosecuted for misappropriating over 90 million US dollars in graft and fraud.This has caused a rift between Muluzi loyalists and the current government, with senior UDF officials openly accusing Mutharika ofnot being grateful to the party that put him in office.

Ex-president Muluzi appointed Mutharika, seen as a ranking outsider to UDF politics, to succeed him amid protests from seniorparty officials. Most of them left to join opposition ranks in protest.

Muluzi led a grueling campaign for Mutharika until he won the May polls. But soon after his inauguration on May 24, Mutharika has been distancing himself from the UDF, publicly refusing to attend party meetings. Enditem