Malawi Parliament meets on K572 billion cashgate

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee continues meeting in Lilongwe to try to get to the bottom of the matter of K572 billion presumed stolen from public coffers.

The auditor general’s report shows the money went missing from 2009 to 2014 spanning two presidential administrations of late Bingu wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Alekeni Menyani confirmed that on Tuesday, PAC met the Auditor General who answered a dozen questions from the lawmakers.

Malawi is country reeling from harsh economic turmoil following the withdrawal of budgetary support from traditional donors after billions of money were stolen in what is now known as cashgate.

Previous reports indicated that former president Bingu wa Mutharika was linked to K92 billion theft of public money but the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) denies this.

Menyani said his committee will summon different high ranking officials in order to get the truth on the matter.

The office of the auditor general said in last parliament that the report was just forensic, money amounting up to K572 billion may not have been stolen after all, it may just have been misplacement of relevant documents supporting payments.