Malawi MPs to travel to Zambia as ‘maizegate’ probe fails to connect Chaponda to fraud

Officials from a parliamentary inquiry on the procurement of maize say they will go to Zambia next week to probe more on how Admarc procured maize from Zambia.

Chairman of the inquiry Dr Jospeh Chidanti Malunga said the inquiry would be complete if some of the officials visit Zambia.

“We will go to Zambia after we finish the investigations this week,” said Malunga.

Two committees of Parliament—the Public Accounts Committee and the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development—are conducting an inquiry into the procurement of maize by State grain marketer – Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) – to establish whether there was an element of fraud and corruption in the deal.

Malunga conceded however that the inquiry has not yet connected Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development  George Chaponda and Admarc CEO Foster Mulumbe to corruption element in the procurement of maize.

He, however, said it was too early to say the two were not involved in suspicious dealings.

Malunga said there were what he called misprocurement and some procurement regulations were not followed.

The Parliamentary Agriculture Committee and the Public Accounts Committee which forms the parliamentary inquiry finishes its job this Friday.

Both Chaponda and Mulumbe denies any wrong doing.