Once dismissed as a puppet of Malawi's former president, new leader Bingu wa Mutharika is winning kudos for his anti-corruption drive in one of the world's poorest countries as it struggles to regain donor confidence.
Mutharika took office in June, pledging to fight what he describes as the "cancer" of corruption and win back tens of millions of dollars in foreign aid that were cut off in 2002.
The pledge has been followed by a string of high-profile cases, arrests and a crackdown on offenders.
"I have decided that actions speak louder than words and from now on, it will be action, action and more action," said Mutharika. Malawians who took his words with a grain of salt have taken notice.
"There is a window of hope to deal with corruption. There is light at the end of the dark tunnel," political analyst Rafiq Hajat told AFP.
Street vendor Chikalipo Onani echoed him, saying: "I must apologise for not voting for Mutharika but he has proved that he can deliver. Where was he before ?"
"We urge Mutharika to smoke out all the corrupt fats from their holes and let them face the music," Jika Nkolokosa, editor of the Daily Times newspaper wrote this week.
One of the first decisions taken by Mutharika was to fire the director of public prosecutions Fahad Assani and replace him with a 32-year-old private lawyer Ishmael Wadi.
Assani had been accused of "sitting on" graft cases involving top officials and refusing to let the anti-corruption bureau prosecute them. "Corrupt officials in the government and parastatals will soon have no place to run to.
We will pursue them and we will make them answer," Mutharika said when he appointed Wadi.
Wadi, the first non-civil servant to hold the powerful post, immediately gave the green light for the arrest of a top aide of former president Bakili Muluzi on corruption and fraud charges at the state-run Shire bus company.
Humphrey Mvula, dubbed the "chief strategist" of the ruling United Democratic Front and a close confidant of Muluzi, faces ten counts of graft charges. His trial is expected to begin soon.
Former finance minister Friday Jumbe is also feeling the heat after being accused of selling the national staple maize from strategic grain reserves in a questionable deal three years ago, leading to a loss of 40 million dollars.
A final decision to prosecute Jumbe rests with Mutharika.
Wadi has said he is "revisiting old files" to revive cases involving several former ministers who were in Muluzi's administration.
An "education scandal", in which two million dollars worth of contracts were awarded to Muluzi loyalists five years ago to build schools, is still before the courts.
Vice President Cassim Chilumpha, who was finance minister when the scandal erupted, has been implicated in the affair. Wadi's office last month announced that 100 million dollars had been lost through fraud and corruption involving some former cabinet ministers during Muluzi's two terms in office from 1994 to May this year.
About 60 percent of 11 million Malawians live below the poverty line and donors have fingered corruption as a major cause of increased poverty in recent years.
The World Bank, one of the major sponsors of the country's tough economic reforms, has said high-level graft has worsened in the past five years and "significantly slowed down economic growth."
More than 75 million dollars (61 million euros) in aid was suspended in 2002 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and donor countries, including from former colonial ruler Britain, due to concerns over spending.
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