Why PAC dropped east bridge probe
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament dropped its probe into the K128 billion Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) fertiliser deal due to pressure from some members who questioned the rationale, it has emerged.
PAC chairperson Mark Botomani confirmed last week that during the committee’s meeting at Parliament Building in Lilongwe ahead of the launch of the probe, some members wanted to establish why, among others, the inquiry into the barter deal between the Malawi Government and the purported Romanian firm East Bridge was necessary when public expenditure was not yet involved.
A transcript of the committee minutes for the September 12 2023 meeting show that Botomani did not get any support from the rest of the members to proceed with the inquiry.
The minutes show that Lilongwe Central member of Parliament (MP) Lobin Lowe (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) questioned the importance of the inquiry.
The former minister of Agriculture said he was previously accused of being involved in the botched K750 million fertiliser deal with United Kingdom firm, Barkaat Foods Limited but no report has been issued after a parliamentary probe.
Said Lowe: “So I want to find out from you, honourable chairperson, what is it really that you want to achieve as PAC? I am asking this question considering that all along Parliament had had so many inquiries.
“I am a victim of a similar inquiry. Parliament was all over. Some chairpersons of committees were all over indicating to the nation that about K30 billion was stolen. I was singled out and invited to an inquiry, but up to now there is no single report and feedback to the nation.”
Lilongwe City Centre MP Alfred Jiya (MCP) also told the meeting that he saw no reasons for summoning government officials when no money has been spent on the planned K128 billion East Bridge barter deal.
He is quoted as having said: “So, maybe before we go any further, you need to convince me otherwise. How much was spent on the East Bridge Company?”
In an interview on Thursday, Botomani, who is Zomba Chisi legislator (Democratic Progressive Party), confirmed that the committee failed to proceed with the inquiry because of the opposition from some of its members.
He said: “It seems that things have drastically changed from the way we have been operating [as a committee] in the past. We never used to have these hurdles.”
Botomani said there was no denying that the matter had generated public interest and, therefore, required the attention of the committee.
In the deal, East Bridge was expected to supply 300 000 metric tonnes of fertiliser to Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) in exchange of assorted farm produce, including soya bean, groundnuts, rice, pigeon peas, sorghum, maize, sugar and cotton.
However, the Malawi Government suspended the deal and withdrew its sovereign guarantee after facing resistance from various stakeholders, including Malawi Law Society (MLS) which recommended a probe.
Earlier, MLS president Patrick Mpaka said the reason for the discontinuation of the inquiry is not satisfactory given the scope of the issues.
He called on PAC to provide further details to help people understand how it arrived at such a decision.
The East Bridge fertiliser deal was faulted for flouting procurement processes and lacking transparency, which would also have resulted in Malawi paying more although it was a commodity exchange arrangement.
