Cash-gate buses in, parked at Automotive Products

Now four out of six buses suspected to have been bought using Capital Hill cash-gate exploits at the Ministry of Tourism have arrived in the country.

A fortnight ago, only one had arrived.

The buses were seen parked at the compound of Automotive Products Limited (APL), the franchise dealer for Scania, who sold the “ministry” six 65-seater Torino Marcopolo buses at about K520 million (about $1.3m).

On Friday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Malawi Police officers were seen viewing the four buses at the new APL premises along the Lilongwe-Mchinji Road next to Kaunda Puma Service Station. Later, the buses were driven off the compound to a currently unknown destination.

Although the transaction went through the Ministry of Tourism vote, principal secretary in the ministry, Elsie Tembo, was not aware of the purchase or the need for the buses at her office.

Even Minister of Tourism Moses Kunkuyu on Saturday said: “I am still not aware of these buses. But because this has emerged at the same time as many other transactions linked to the ministry, we have left it in the hands of investigators.”

A fortnight ago, ACB and forensic auditors’ search for bad boys and girls in the infamous cash-gate found that the Ministry of Tourism vote used some K520 million to purchase buses the ministry is not officially aware of.

Sources said the buses were already paid for in full even before they were delivered.

Documents ACB, auditors and fiscal police have indicate that the ministry paid the K520 million through a cheque co-signed by the arrested principal accountant to government Roosevelt Ndovie.

But in an e-mailed response to a questionnaire, ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala could not directly comment on the buses. She said their officers’ presence at the Ministry of Tourism is in the spirit of continued investigations.

Said Ndala: “The investigation into the cash-gate case by the Anti-Corruption Bureau is continuing into various ministries and departments, the Ministry of Tourism inclusive. As you are aware, the bureau arrested some officers from the ministry, therefore, their presence at the ministry at any point should be viewed as a continuation of its investigation.”

On the other hand, the Office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) confirmed that the K520 million procurement was beyond the threshold within which the Ministry of Tourism can buy goods, services or works without the public procurer’s nod.

According to ODPP spokesperson Mary Mbekeani, the Ministry of Tourism can only procure goods not beyond K30 million, K40 million for works, and K15 million (about $37 500) for routine services and consultancy services, without ODPP’s no objection.

“This is in accordance with the Circular issued by the Director of Public Procurement in June 2013 to all Procuring Entities,” she said in an email.

On the other hand, Mbekeani also confirmed that the six buses were bought without their involvement although the purchase was outside the set thresholds.

“We have not found any documentation related to this procurement. As such, we are made to conclude that this Office did not handle the procurement in question,” she said.

Quotations for the buses were sourced by Ministry of Tourism chief tourism officer Leonard Kalonga who was arrested on allegations of facilitating illegal payments.

According to documents seen, the cheque, 2013 prepared on September 4 2013, was deposited into APL account on September 6 .

The ACB has since questioned officers both at the ministry and APL and has ordered that the buses should not be moved without their nod.

The Ministry of Tourism is among a few ministries that were apparently being used as conduits through which public funds have been siphoned.

So far, ACB arrested former Tourism principal secretary Theresa Namathanga Senzani and Kalonga.

Two weeks ago, The Nation revealed that the Ministry of Tourism saw over K5 billion (about $12.5m) go through its vote, but officially, the system was unaware of such transactions as they did not touch on the ministry’s allocations.

This fiscal year, the ministry was allocated K3.7 billion (about $9.2m), which according to records, is still on course.