The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) yesterday summoned National Oil Company (Nocma) chief executive officer Engineer Emmanuel Matapa for questioning following revelations that the State firm paid $403 605 (about K700 million) based on “fraudulent correspondence”.
The bureau’s spokesperson Jacqueline Ngongonda confirmed the summons in an interview and said that Matapa went to the ACB offices yesterday morning to explain the circumstances surrounding the reported payment to scammers.
“Based on information contained in Nocma’s press release, the ACB internally generated a complaint, which has since been authorised for investigation into suspected abuse of office by those involved in making the payment,” she said.
Matapa. | Nation
But Ngongonda did not explain the outcome of the meeting, while Matapa could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Matapa told The Nation of Wednesday this week that he cannot step aside following revelations that the entity paid $403 605 (about K700 million) based on “fraudulent correspondence”.
He wondered why he should step aside when he only assumed work on May 1 2026, days after the transaction had already taken place.
Later on Wednesday, Malawi Police Service arrested Nocma deputy CEO Miklas Reuben and senior operations manager Thokozani Jacob Sesani in relation to the alleged scandal.
National Police deputy public relations officer Alfred Chimthere said in a statement that the two are likely to face charges of negligence by a public officer in preserving money and misuse of public office, among other related offences.
Nocma spokesperson Raymond Likambale is on record, arguing that the government had not lost any money in the matter, saying “the recipient bank had already confirmed receipt of the funds.”
On Monday, Nocma said following the government’s decision in November 2024 to transition from the Open Tender System to Government-to-Government (G2G) fuel procurement, Nocma was designated to play a central role in the importation of petroleum products.
The payment related to services rendered by Mozhandling in the processing of the MT Flora, a marine vessel that transported 15.1 million litres of G2G fuel through the Port of Nacala in Mozambique.
