1,000 suspects named in K2bn ‘cashgate’ at Ministry of Health: US aid on HIV fight looted

Ministry of Health has confirmed the report by Nyasa Times of the  existence of  a National Audit Office (NAO) audit report chronologizing on how some dishonest officials from the ministry managed to loot the donated funds from the US- funded Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and that K2.5billion  was looted between 2013 and 2015.

Minister of Health, Peter Kumpalume: Abuse of resources in Ministry of Health
Minister of Health, Peter Kumpalume: Abuse of resources in Ministry of Health

Spokesperson for Ministry of Health, Adrian Chikumbe said the NAO report has implicated director of finance, human resources and HIV in the ministry as well as rank outsiders from the ministry who connived  with staff to plunder the resources mercilessly.

“A total of K399, 421,090, 00 was given to individuals whose names could not be traced [and ] a total of  K1,045, 068, 020,00 was issued to officers whose designation wa snot indicated,” reads part of the NAO report

Chikumbe said fiscal police will “investigate further” the scam.

The report also indicated there was poor fuel management which resulted in abuse of  K277, 114, 171, 62.

Chikumbe, however, said all employees implicated have since been interdicted.

In December 2015, Malawi Government suspended 63  workers from the Ministry.

These included the Director of human resource, the Director of finance and two chief accountants to pave way for a thorough audit investigation over unjustified withdrawal of allowances and fuel abuse.

The dismissal of the health officials followed the complaint which the US-funded Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had made to the Malawi Government where it suspected that some officials were dipping their fingers into CDC coffers which were meant to address HIV and Aids problem.

Ministry of Health Dr Peter Kumpalume told media that  the stolen money were in “millions”, adding that the US-
funded Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had written the ministry to complain that they suspected civil servants from the HIV and AIDS project were to be defrauding the said funds.

Kumpalume admitted that abuse of resources in his ministry.

“A few greedy individuals who want to benefit out of the poor are embezzling money in the health system, projects have stalled. We need to jointly come up with a monitoring mechanism, follow ethics and be patriotic.

“It is sad to note that for an individual to carry out a project the cost is  reasonable but for the same project to be carried out by government the figures multiplies,” lamented Kumpalume when he toured  College of Medicine (CoM) in Blantyre .

He noted that most projects are abandoned or ignored due to bloated figures.

US ambassador to Malawi, Virginia Palmer, expressed the hope that the authorities “will identify those responsible for the looting and that they will be held accountable for the misuse of funds intended to improve the health of Malawian citizens.”

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Nyasa
Nyasa
7 years ago

National Audit Office should also visit Agricultural Research Departments, especially Chitedze Research Station. Take me as a whistle blower.

There’s alot of abuse on resouces. Sue me if you don’t fibd anything.

wee
wee
7 years ago

Hey journalists have more information before you write anything. The period concerned, the total project amount was 2.6 billion and you are say

Zondiwe
Zondiwe
7 years ago

It is a pity that it is our Civil Servants that are stealing money.
The generations that were carrying answer sheets into examination rooms are the ones who are now in important positions in government.
This malaise will take a long time to eradicate since our educational system is no longer emphasizing ethical behaviour.
Retired and upright civil servants should be re-deployed in the Civil Service, to clean up the mess and train the existing civil servants ethical behaviour. If you look hard, Civil Servants themselves are nor speaking about the looting because most are involved.

nabetha
nabetha
7 years ago

Enafe kumaoneka ngat osatha kugwilitsa ntchito bwino ndalama. kukanika kugula ka plot

Denguzman Bokho
7 years ago

Iwe Denguzman, zimene wakamba pamenepa ndi manyi. You cannot say those involved in the malpractice are from the south and therefore they cannot be prosecuted. Evil is evil, that’s what my Bible says. Iwe Bokho, mooti umati ukagona umaganiza zooti MCP idzalowanso m’boma? Tell me, how do you imagine MCP coming into government again? Are you not worried that Chakwera abandoned the pulpit for the sake of politics? Aise Bokho, forget that MCP will occupy Capital Hill. Never at all. You and me should see each other in 2019.

Nkalapwaga
Nkalapwaga
7 years ago

Death Penalty for all looters

Nkalapwaga
Nkalapwaga
7 years ago

Death penalty for Looters

Tozer Tsono
Tozer Tsono
7 years ago

Virginia Palmer seems to trust the system that is obviously corrupt to investigate itself but no one in Peter Mutharika’s government has a clue on how to stem the pilfering of government resources let alone put a checks and balances in place to change the culture of blatant graft. No one seems to care how much time is involved in pursuing stolen money, the cost of failed projects, and the health of of Malawians left in the balance. Ms. Palmer, where will the government get the money to investigate this latest looting? You know very well they don’t even have… Read more »

CONCERNED CITIZEN
CONCERNED CITIZEN
7 years ago

We are always blemming Govenment saying it is failling . In malawi , the looting of Govrnment and aid funds is contributing to the failure of most of the sectors where Government is supposed to provide services and Malwians are suffering due to a few people who are selfish and unpatriotic . Such people if proved guilty should simply have all their property confiscated and sold to recover the looted money .By so doing, others who may want to do the same ( looting) will think twice before doing it

Andrea
Andrea
7 years ago

we need a system in Malawi where faithful people are rewarded otherwise this evil wont cease

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