Hiwa exposed again: Roads Authority CEO in more procurement scandal,  K80mil from Fargo as govt stops ACB probe

In a typical mafia-style reflecting his muscles in breaking procurement rules, the  Roads Authority (RA)  Chief Executive Officer Trevor Hiwa has ensured that his company, Infracon Consulting Engineers tops in the technical score of all four Road and Bridge Maintenance Contracts for the 2016/2017 financial year.

Nyasa Times understand that at the opening of the financial proposals last Friday, 17th June 2016, Infracon scored 93.65% for Kasungu Zone, 93.17% for Lilongwe Zone, 95% for Zomba Zone and 93.65% for Blantyre Zone.

All this was done to ensure that Infracon have an advantage when it comes to a combined score which is the basis for recommendation of award, RA sources told Nyasa Times.

The scores, sources said, were manipulated in favour of the CEOs company.

“ People with knowledge of the company know very well that Infraconcan not all of a sudden achieve that kind of scoreline. What the CEO has done since he came to RA is to reshuffle those Engineers not willing to unfaily facilitate award of contracts to his company.

“He has even gone ahead to reshuffle the Internal Procurement Committee ( IPC ) by removing those perceived not to follow his directives in breaking procurement guidelines,” a source told Nyasa Times.

Hiwa has been making headlines for wrong reasons after local press reported he  awarded a K217 million World Bank funded project to his own company Infracon Limited.

In addition to the World Bank funded project, Hiwa is also reportedly to have recommended to award himself a contract for the design and supervision of the Livingstonia-Njakwa road.

The agreement with the Malawi Government was that Mota Engil was going to do both design and construction of the road. It was however later discovered that Infracon was doing the designs without having gone through any procurement procedures.

The Mchinji Round About – Kanengo dual carriageway project is yet another case which was supposed to be a design and construct contract.

“Again he did his manipulation to recommend his company Infracon to be awarded the design component without competition from other consultants,” sources indicated.

The RA boss through his lawyers, Likongwe  and Company, argue that  “there was no corruption” in awarding the contract to Infracon  which was formerly called Romana Infrastructure Consultants and it changed to Infracon on February 1 2014, saying “all legal procedures were followed and approvals obtained.”

Hiwa is also accused of pocketing at least K80 million from Frago so tht he should be giving them contracts. And indeed they are getting all contracts apart from Motal Engil.

Meanwhile, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigators have says they are not probing Hiwa after being discouraged by the State.

ACB’s Senior Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala  is quoted saying the graft-busting body  received the complaint on Hiwa and was “processing” to  review and  see “if there is merit to warrant its action.”

But ACB boss reportedly was told by government through Ministry of Justice to  let Hiwa off the hook, Nyasa Times has learnt.

Hiwa, who was appointed Chief Executive of the Roads Authority on July 1 2014, wrote Minister of Transport and Public Works Malison Ndau on June 6 2016 informing him of the change of directorship at Infracon Limited.

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