Interdicted Parliament employee on full pay
Parliament Secretariat continued to pay a full salary and allowances to an interdicted accounts assistant for seven months, The Nation can reveal.
Maziko Maseya, who was arrested on August 15 2014 in connection with armed robbery, was immediately interdicted pending investigations.
However, sources said Maseya has been receiving full salary, including corresponding allowances as if he is still discharging official duties.
National Assembly chief public relations officer Leonard Mengezi confirmed the development and said Parliament’s human resource (HR) department was aware of it.
Said Mengezi: “Our legal counsel advised us not to discontinue paying him his salary because, in his legal opinion, what Maseya did was not related to his job here, so unless the court finds him guilty, we cannot deny him of his dues.
“The other option was to write him a letter of abscondment to which he would reply within a specified period of time and if he doesn’t then the HR can discontinue paying him his salary.”
However, he disclosed that the HR department has now written Maseya the letter of abscondment to which he is yet to reply.
Lilongwe Police spokesperson Kingsley Dandaula said Maseya, 27, and currently on court bail, was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and a K5 million robbery at a church in Lilongwe.
