ACB probes RBMMzuzu project
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has opened a probe into alleged “malpractices and rampant breach of contractual and procurement procedures” in the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Mzuzu Branch construction project, The Nation has learnt.
According to communication The Nation has seen on the ‘Reserve Bank of Malawi Mzuzu Branch Investigation’, the ACB has already requested for some information from the central bank as part of the probe.
Under Section 11(c) of the Corrupt Practices Act, the ACB is mandated to request any institution or individual to furnish it with documents relevant to an investigation.
The bureau has also written the Office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) to help it in the investigations due to the case’s “complicated procurement process.”
In a letter dated February 10 2015 from ACB director general Lucas Kondowe to ODPP director Dye Mawindo, the bureau said: “In view of the nature of the case and the complicated procurement process for such a project, I kindly request your office to join our team so that we investigate the case jointly.”
When contacted on Wednesday to confirm the investigation and his enlisting of ODPP’s help, Kondowe referred this reporter to the bureau’s senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala, who is also its official spokesperson.
But Ndala said she could not respond to the matter because she was out of office.
On his part, Mawindo, in a separate interview on Wednesday, said he has not seen the communication.
He said: “Well, I will respond to you when I see the letter. I haven’t seen it yet, so wait for my response [after] I get it.”
In another interview, RBM spokesperson Mbane Ngwira said he was not aware of any probe.
In December last year, The Nation revealed in an investigative story that the RBM Mzuzu Branch project was rocked by problems, including disagreements among stakeholders, some central bank figures, project managers and supervising architects regarding costs, deadlines and procurement issues.
For instance, the project cost, initially estimated at about K5 billion, jumped by K9 billion or 180 percent in August 2013, translating into K14 billion as the revised total project cost.
The project has also missed its deadline several times and has had multiple extensions of the contract period.
The project—which was originally scheduled to be completed within three years from November 2007—was divided into two phases. It is now more than seven years.
