Government, Atupele disown contract with India company
There is a jigsaw puzzle at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (EP&D) which appears like only former minister Atupele Muluzi can solve.
At issue is a contract purportedly signed by the UDF torch-bearer in the 2014 elections on behalf of the Malawi Government and an Indian woman named Saritha Likkakula who signed on behalf of Sai Balaji Enterprise worth 137 000 euros (about K72 million at the current exchange rate.)
Saritha is currently chasing for payment from the ministry but sources there say she is finding it tough because the contract was between Muluzi and herself and not the Malawi Government.
Meanwhile, the ministry says the deal is illegal because the former minister side-stepped controlling officers in signing the contract.
In an interview, Saritha was unsettled and pleaded “please don’t make news out of this.”
“We are here to help Malawi by bringing more investors from India into the agricultural industry. I am currently in trouble with my bosses and I can’t be paid my salary because of this payment,” she said.
But confronted with the allegations, Muluzi denied knowledge or existence of a contract between himself and the Indian media company.
“Tell them to show you the contract,” he said.
But documents in our possession show that Muluzi and Saritha put pen to paper on June 12 2012, endorsing a contract for Sai Balaji Enterprise to do “a report on Malawi.”
The job was to be completed by July 12 2012 and payment would be made before August 30 2012.
On August 26 2013, Saritha wrote Principal Secretary for EP&D pleading for her payment, insinuating that change of leadership at the ministry had affected their payment.
By then, Muluzi had resigned as minister and was replaced by Goodall Gondwe. Ralph Jooma later replaced Gondwe after the latter had resigned.
“We had received instructions from the government that there was a need to create an economic report on Malawi. Urgent decision had been made to bring in foreign investors from all over the world to promote mining, agriculture industry and many other sectors.
“Hence, I, Saritha Likkakula, was here for that requested purpose. We had signed an advertising contract and interviewed Mr. Atupele Muluzi for the editorial section of the report. We have fulfilled the requirement and completed our job and made a complete report and submitted it to the government. We were promised to be paid by August 17th 2012 so we left the country,” she wrote.
According to the letter, the changes at the ministry created problems that affected the processing of payment for the contract.
“For this reason, I beg you to make us the necessary payment as soon as possible before we incur further expenses,” said Saritha.
The 137 000 euros was meant, according to her, to produce a one-page report on Malawi expected to be published in Le Monde, a popular French newspaper.
According to the contract, the report would show a positive image of the country. The report consisted of two parts—editorial and advertising—but only the editorial part is attached to the contract for payment.
The agreement was titled “agreement and contract between Sai Balaji Enterprise and Minister of Economic Planning and Development Mr. Atupele Muluzi, MP.”
The contract we have seen shows Muluzi endorsing: “I, Mr. Atupele Muluzi, hereby agree and come in contract with Sai Balaji Enterprise which would be honoured by 30th August, 2012.”
In an interview yesterday, Principal Secretary for EP&D Ted Sitima-wina described the contract as illegal.
“As controlling officer, I should have had knowledge of such a contract but I didn’t. It’s not supposed to happen like that,” said Sitima-wina.
He also disclosed that since the matter concerned a former minister, the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) was handling it.
According to Sitimawina, the Ministry of Justice has also taken up the matter because the contract has been deemed illegal.
Spokespersons for OPC and the Ministry of Justice were unavailable for comment.
Agenda for change imeneyo. Like father like son. Signs of kuba and ignoring procedures in procurement issues. Nde ngati amapanga zimenezo ali just minister nde zizatha bwanji mukawasankha uprezident ndalama zonse will be lutepoed into their pockets
Thats PP propaganda sakudziwa ndi ndani kuti PP yapeleka 1.5milion ku nation newz paper kuti amuipitse mwanayu koma sizitheka atupele 2014 boma!!
Only 6 months in the government Atupele basi mwapanga kale cash gate yanu ya K72m. Mukanatha chaka mukanadzadza ma boot angati ndi ndalama za a Malawi? Choncho mukufuna change imeneyi kuti muibweretse? Crazy Atupele!!!!!!!!
Palibe nkhani apa.Atupere amafuna kubweretsa chitukuko. Boma langosowa zifukwa, bola mukanati anasowesa ndalama,koma chipani cha Cash gate peoples party chandikwana bwanji!
Why cant we chase those Indians who are milking our money out of Malawi with immediate effect? One page report worth 72million for real? Arrest this woman zinazo akafotokoza ali ku ndende zachibwana ngat zimenezi sizifunika kuzisekerera.
Sometimes Malawi Government before they outsource outside Malawi they should try to use local expertise . Next time they should try to contact us for the same .www. Rbcg.co.uk Best buy Malawi
its now general knowledge that Nation has been bought. What a shame. I wonder what Aleke would think about some greedy people defecating his brain child. No bodody signs a contract saying I, Mr —–. This is all vague. Manyazi bwanji. By the way NyasaTimes yagulidwanso . Talk about ethics
Of course it is no secret that Nyasatimes became a propanda tool,sometime ago. It is a shame really
Koma Nyasatimes yaonjeza eeeish. Paja ili ndi anyamata ena ku State House amene akumalemba nkhani achina Tusekere Mwanyongo. Sad
issue should be the billions that lutepo got and changed to dollars at victoria forex bureau and paid jb her share from the cash gate scam
The issue now is Mr Clean Atupele and his clean agenda of pocketing clean K72M for advertising a clean one page only without following clean procurement procedures. The issue is not about someone whom the interpol is already on his neck. He is already dead meat. But Atupele should under go the same process that was subjected to Mpasu on Field York. Arrest Atupele, the precedence is already there.
I am not PP nor UDF, let facts be told. Was this contract signed by Atupere or not? If yes then Nation has a point to inform the people because what we have seen of late its painful. Medical Drs matching simply because there is no basic medicine in hospitals due to theft. I am if this boy stayed longer in PP government he should have done his part. Secondly I would like you good people to enlighten me the source of Atupere’s wealth. If it originates from his Dad then there is problem because I would say Malawians do not want to learn from past mistakes. I doubt the credibility of this boy, perhaps his age is deceiving us but UDF dealings and ideologies still remain. Look, Bakili used to say zinthu zasintha and this Atupere is saying agenda for change. This slogan is ambiguous because its not telling us whether its change for the better or worse. Zinthu zasintha has proved to be change for the worse. Agenda for change I guess we will end up to be in change for the worst believe you me!!!!!
137 000 euro? For one page? To be published in Le Monde?
Zoyamwiradi izi.