Audit uncovers cash-gate buses
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).
Ma bus a campaign a PP amenewo
Should we say the buses was bought to boost the tourism industry? Or is it not the gift to pp from tourism ministry? May be they wanted to share among these themselves? Either? Why? But how? Osama Binladen alibe yankho koma mulungu ndi yemwe angatiuze zeni zeni,
Lord have mercy! We need tighter controls with the government finances and harsh punishments for those deeping their dirty fingers in them. I am praying so hard that everyone who is involved in the Cashgate scandal should be punished and let to suffer the way the poor people are suffering right now. LORD HELP US!
Mbava koma mubwera kwa multiparty dziko lamalawi laberedwa anthu akulowa m’boma kukadzilemeretsa osati kuthandiza anthu. kulumbira ngati zoona atagwira buku lopatulika “so help me God” zoona akuthandizeni kubako? Ndiye mudzikakamize kwamalawi chikabwera chisankho kupanga njira zonse kuti mukhalepobe koma dziko ili.
You ACB, why are you wasting time? Just ask the officers what these buses are for which purpose, Were they budgeted for? Who authorised the cheque? Arrest them. Full stop. But what you are doing is wasting allowances, traveling to and from why? If this is not happening, then I may be compelled to believe that these buses are for PP campaign. Nsonda and Makande please stop defending your party because, one day you will be embarrassed to hear that these buses were for a big fish, which I believe it too heavy for any skilled fisherman to catch it. My fellow Malawians, am pleading with you to Consider voting these so called small parties, thats the only way to go. Never get cheated with these so called PP, DPP, UDF, Open your eyes and see the composition of their national executives. Thugs, thieves, young democrats, youth wings, a youth.
Then who is responsible for this? Bingu, JB, Officers or non of the above. Then my advices to those that are taking part is as follows: (1) avoid involving many bodies in investigating the matters. (2) do not allow any top official to be part of the investigative body. (3) allow the foriegn crew to investigate the scandle with no local interfierence. If all these fails then lets train monkeys to deal with money issues in our offices as these will fruits than munthu.
Manondo uku ndiye waulura a jb ndi amene amasusa papakulu, kufika powauza anamaba amzake kuti zake zizikhala mmadollar. Ati zizikwana bwino mu pillow. Koma inu?
The next thing is that we could have been told by Amayi in front of chiongolero of one of the buses is that the “Friends of PP in the UK and USA” have given me ……..nonsense. The money is coming from our highly taxed money at 33 to 40 percent! Abale Mulungu tinalakwanji aMalawife?
Malawi seems to have gone from ‘The Warm Heart’ to ‘Corruption central’. How sad.
Where are the names of all the asian businessmen who have made monies in this cash gate affair
pali patatu: 1. JB ndi PP asamuke, tiwafufuze bwino; 2. JB akaturuka, Parliament motsogozedwa ndi Speaker alalamulire Malawi kwa miyezi ikubwerayi mpaka Tripartite Elections; 3. ngati ma civilian takanika kuyendetsa bwino nkhaniyi, ndikuganiza kuti military take over ichitike mpaka chuma cha boma chibwezedwe, komanso Tripartite elections ichitike. BWANJI PAMENEPO A MALAWI, TICHITE CHIYANI.
Manondo said it arleday JB involved!!!!tionera kwa inu