The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Wednesday barred DPP leader of the House George Chaponda and publicity secretary Nicholas Dausi from joining the committee on grounds of irregularities and “questionable” motive on their switch.
But Chaponda and Dausi said the committee has no powers to reject their membership as they still consider themselves PAC members and would continue attending its meetings.
PAC had resumed its meetings to probe into cashgate with the attendance of Chaponda and Dausi who were later asked to leave after the majority of the committee members voted against their joining the committee.
In an interview, PAC chairperson Beatrice Mwangonde said change of DPP members in the committee did not go through the Business Committee of Parliament.
“Change of membership of the committees of Parliament is supposed to be discussed in the Business Committee. At the time Parliament was rising on a Friday, we just got an announcement that membership of the committees has changed. We didn’t know why these people wanted to belong to the PAC,” said Mwangonde.
She said DPP sent Chaponda and Dausi to replace its Zomba Chisi MP Peter Mangulenje and Mulanje North Stephen Namacha in the committee.
“We have worked with Mangulenje and Namacha very well and they have been very effective. They have knowledge of what we have been doing. Almost three quarters of the committee voted against the change. Members felt the motive of these members to join the committee was not very clear?” said Mwangonde.
In separate interviews, various PAC members said they felt Chaponda and Dausi were sent to defend DPP on its involvement in the cashgate scam and influence the committee’s resolutions.
“There is nothing that can overrule what the Speaker announced. We want to interview Ministry of Finance former budget director Paul Mphwiyo and others put on the list to be interviewed by the committee,” said Dausi.
In an interview, Speaker Henry Chimunthu Banda said he is yet to get an official report on the matter.
