Pressure mounts on AIP probe, recovery
Pressure is mounting on Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda and Parliament to provide details of the findings of a probe into the botched Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) where K563 million was recovered from Germany last August.
Governance watchdogs have called for the prosecution of those involved in the deal locally and that Parliament should provide a detailed report by its joint committee that looked into the matter for two weeks.
In an interview yesterday, private practice lawyer Justin Dzonzi said the silence, spanning six months, smacks of a premeditated arrangement to defraud Malawians, and authorities from the two offices needed to clear the mist.
He said: “The deal was not a product of accident, it was planned. As such, one would have the difficult but obvious conclusion that someone wanted to swindle this country.
“The rest of the activities that have come thereafter are easy to understand. If the ones tasked with responsibility to carry out or authorise investigations are compromised, it shouldn’t come as a shock that no real action is taken.”
Public expenditure tracking expert Mavuto Bamusi said the silence confirms suspicions that senior level politicians are involved.
He said: “It is a vindication that the deal was a premeditated scheme to defraud Malawians of scarce tax money; corruption syndicates around fertiliser procurement have strengthened their grip on public funds.”
On his part, Centre for Social Transparency and Accountability executive director Willy Kambwandira also said the government ought to explain how the recovered funds are being used.
“Our fear is that the funds could be abused again,” he said.
In a separate interview, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said failure to prosecute those involved creates the impression that they are being shielded.
He said: “Either the issue has been abandoned or the AG is deliberately hiding information from Malawians on what is happening, which is unacceptable. Taxpayers have the right to be updated on what is happening.
“The AG should update Malawians on what is happening, including on the trial for the suspect in the US which he said would commence in September last year.”
Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Sameer Suleiman said the matter was referred to the Speaker of Parliament as they had requested for additional days to meet some stakeholders and conclude their work.
“We have been requesting the Speaker that we get more days to meet some officials like the Secretary to President and Cabinet [SPC] Ecobank, and Reserve Bank of Malawi, but we are not being assisted,” he said.
However, Speaker Catherine Gotani-Hara said she had made contact with the committee on the matter and they are looking for closure, including an interim report.
She said: “We are just trying to finalise so that maybe they will give us an interim report. If there is a need for anything, they will let us know. So we will be going back to them, because all we want is a conclusion to the matter.”
Earlier, AG Nyirenda said Camden County New Jersey Prosecutors and the police in the United States of America (USA) had arrested and charged one of the principal suspects.
But last week, the AG, speaking through his spokesperson Emmanuel Lawyer, said he was still following up on the matter and was mute of any headway on local culprits.
“He [AG] was making a call in the USA but has not been successful. He will try to make a follow-up on the matter and give you feedback,” he said.
The botched deal irked President Lazarus Chakwera who on October 25 2022 sacked then minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe and his deputy Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima for purportedly failing to provide leadership.
