Mathieu Zahui Agrees To Plead Guilty In USADF Bribery Case

According to court documents, Mathieu Zahui, 59, the Director of Financial Management of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), was charged today and agreed to plead guilty to one count of accepting gratuities and one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer.

Prosecutors allege that between June 2020 and December 2023 Zahui directed USADF funds to a Kenya-based contractor, Company-1, as a pass-through rather than paying vendors directly, causing USADF to pay at least $617,625.49, court documents show.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a Justice Department statement that Zahui "accepted payments from a government contractor and then abused his position," and Acting Assistant Inspector General Sean M. Bottary said the conduct "betrayed the trust of the American people."

Company-1 submitted more than 20 pass-through invoices with mark-ups ranging from 17% to 66% and retained $134,886.34, and prosecutors allege Zahui received $12,000 in cash payments, court records show.

Zahui faces a maximum penalty of two years for the gratuities charge and five years for the false-statement charge, his plea hearing will be scheduled by a federal district court judge, and USAID-OIG officials said related investigations into USADF misconduct are ongoing.