Malawi MP condemns recurring of cashgate at Capital Hill

Chairman of Parliament’s Agriculture Committee Felix Jumbe has sharply condemned the loot of millions of money from the ministry of Agriculture asking the government to move in swiftly to recover the money.

Jumbe was commenting on ‘agriculture-cashgate’ which has resulted in the government interdicting 74 civil servants from the ministry and 36 others are expected to be disciplined following the missing of K15 billion.

“There is a lot of money going to the ministry of Agriculture, every year parliament approves a lot of money for the ministry but the situation on the ground is different. I think only 10 percent of what we approve go to the people, the rest is stolen,” said Jumbe.

He said no wonder the Agriculture sector is grossly failing, saying the government needed to act.

On the culprits as the loot is affecting ordinary poor farmers.

Zodiak reported that ministry of agriculture spokesman Halmiton Chimala said a syndicate of technocrats in the ministry including accountants, human resource managers and economists fleeced the government of the money through bloated salaries and allowances and allowances for travel not undertaken.

“The issue has been well handled, the culprits will soon be arrested. They have been told to vacate their institutional houses,” said Chimala.

US deputy ambassador to Malawi Michael Gonzales said the government must put in place sound financial policies to stop theft of public money, according to Zodiak.

Just a few months ago, 60 ministry of Health workers were also interdicted for stealing huge sums of public money .

All these thefts are coming as the state is prosecuting a  dozen people involved in K30 billion public money plunder at the same Capital hill in what is known as cashgate.

Government is expected to release a report on a massive loot of public money amounting to K577 billion.