Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and forensic auditors’ search for ‘bad boys and girls’ in the infamous Capital Hill cash-gate has found that the Ministry of Tourism vote used about K520 million (about $1.3m) to buy buses the ministry is not officially aware of.
In fact, sources both at the ministry and the franchise dealer, Automotive Products Limited (APL), confirmed that the buses, six 65-seater Marcopolo Torino coaches, were already paid for in full before their delivery.
Ministry of Tourism principal secretary Elsie Tembo said: “That’s news to me. I reported [for work] yesterday and I am busy looking at different documentation, but I haven’t been told of that.”
But documents ACB, auditors and fiscal police have indicate that the ministry paid the K520 million through a cheque co-signed by arrested principal accountant to in the Accountant General’s Department, Roosevelt Ndovi.
Quotations for the buses were sourced by chief tourism officer Leonard Kalonga, who was arrested a fortnight ago for allegedly facilitating illegal payments.
According to documents seen, the cheque, prepared on September 4 2013, was deposited into Automotive Products’ bank account on September 6 2013.
Said the Ministry of Tourism source: “We have been told that one bus is in and two will be delivered in December, but these are not our buses.”
The ACB has since questioned officers both at the ministry and the supplier. ACB has also ordered that one bus, currently parked at APL offices along the Lilongwe-Mchinji Road, should not be moved without their nod.
ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala was yet to respond to a questionnaire sent to her office as she said she had travelled from Blantyre to Lilongwe on duty.
Our sources also confirmed that some APL drivers are scheduled to leave for South Africa this weekend to collect buses for delivery to the Ministry of Tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism is one among a few ministries that were apparently being used as conduits for the looted public funds.
So far, ACB arrested the ministry’s principal secretary Teresa Namathanga Senzani and Kalonga from the ministry thought to have been at the centre of the looting.
The Office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) said it did not handle the procurement in question.
On the question of thresholds, the Ministry of Tourism has the following categories: K30 million (about $75 000) for goods, K40 million (about $100 000) for works, K15 million (about $37 500) for routine services and K15 million again for consultancy services.
This fiscal year, the ministry was allocated K3.7 billion (about $9.2m).
