K4bn payout in Malawi chief elections officer account: Treasury deposited cheque on eve of May 21 polls
There has been revelations that Treasury deposited K4 billion into a bank account named the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on the eve of the May 21 Tripartite Elections, fuelling suspicion that the money could have been part of ‘buying’ staff to help in ‘mismanagement’ of the polls.
But the chief elections officer Sam Alfandika has downplayed such fears , said a day before the polls, the electoral body had many people to pay their dues including field staff hence the payment from Treasury through Reserve Bank of Malawi cheque number 127883 dated May 202019.
Alfandika said the bank account named after his post continue to get billions “because we are still making payments to people who rendered their services to the commission during the elections.”
But critics say this was a “secret account” and the money could possibly be used t bribe commissioners and other people.
“It if twas clean money, it should have passed through the mainstream MEC account,” observed one.
One suggested that the court must be moved to compel the bank to make available for public scrutiny statements of the account so the the nation should know how much money was channelled through the account, the signatories, who authorised the opening of the account and for what purposes.
The development comes at a time when petitioners are seeking nullification of the presidential results in the May 21 Tripartite Elections at the Constitutional Court intended to examine bank accounts of the country’s electoral staff to track possible bribe.
The opposition lawyers needed to know whether any MEC staff had had transactions in their accounts that are unusual, that could not be explained in terms of inflows of funds.
However, a panel of five judges of the High Court of Malawi comprising Healey Potani, Dingiswayo Madise, Ivy Kamanga, Redson Kapindu and Mike Tembo, dismissed the petitioners’ request for MEC to release bank details of its data entry clerks, saying such action was beyond the mandate of the electoral body.
The court observed that allowing MEC access to the staff’s bank accounts would be an infringement of their right to privacy.
In the case, the country’s immediate past vice-president Saulos Chilima, who represented UTM Party in the presidential race, is the first petitioner while Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera is the second petitioner with President Peter Mutharika and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) as first and second respondents, respectively.
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Zinthu ngati izi tinachita kale condemn pa Malawi nthawi ya mkulu wake wa Pitala, Bingu. Yemwe adali Sekilitale wa ku offesi ya za Chuma Milton Kutengule adatsegula yekha ka account ka Mardef kaya chani yekha ndikukhala signatory. Adanyambitako ndalama kumeneko. A Malawi tidakana mchitidwe umenewu womatsegula ma account mudzina la adindo pamene bungwe lawo lili ndi account ina, chifukwa zimaonjezele mchitidwe wokuba ndalama za boma komanso kusokoneza kalondolondo wa ndalamazo. Olo ma process angatalike cholinga chake ndikuteteza chuma chaboma (misonkho yawanthu)
reporter the story is incomplete and meant to inflame emotions. what was the practice before, did this account exist before? were other payments made into this account? what is the use of the account. otherwise no need to give half information.
The Chief Elections Officer has come out and said the account was set to circumvent the checks imposed on government transactions by IFMIS. This is stealing and I expect the ANTI CORRUPTION BUREAU to step- oooh what am saying- no need they are all thieves and their time is UP.
Ben phili on corruptors kkkkkkklkkkkkklllkkkkkkkk
wasting time for nothing,every cheque paid is Madando,mmafuna asalipidwe anthu,
Koma Malawi ndiyophweka mapeto! Mpaka regional cashier kupeleka K4 billion ku account ya officer? How much was wired to the MEC Chairperson, as a MEC officer too? Nde tizinamizana za IFMIS nso apaaaaaaaaaaaaa?
Dr Jane Ansah, how many tracks do you send with Sam when he is withdrawing since these are billions? kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Alufandika with his gay voice
“Chief elections officer…?” Where on earth? The treasury people should as well be pinned on this seriously! Inu anthu kumudziku akuvutika, kudya mfutso june to december, mvula ikagwa ndikumasintha mnkhwani ndi bonongwe, nyemba ndi nyama kumazionera kumaliro ndi mzikwati, akati akagule mchere or sugar zimisonkho phwiiii …! Inu basi kumagawana choncho ndalama yamisonkhoyo! Failing to provide drugs to hospitals, failing to construct school blocks, mkumati muli ndiumunthu? Tonde ofula Muntharika can’t say he does not know this, how can a professor of law explain such an account? Ansah wamphere kumpheto, how will she explain this? Even if you had lots… Read more »
Mizimu yolira yonse kuti khuthuuuuuu mwa Alufandika ndi Mai Madandu, osayiwalaso Pitala .
Mumumva kuwawa Malawi wake si uyuyu…..Tiye nawo Chilima fwanthura mithakati.
For sure government and MEC had take Malawians for fools. How can this whole trash be allowed in the modern world. By 22nd May 2019 funds in the range of 3 million kwacha were being transferred to clerks of The Electral body. If we dont do anything we are fools of the highest order.