Mera CEO Magalasi, two others arrested in Malawi corruption crackdown
Malawi Police Services in Lilongwe have confirmed the arrest of Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) Chief Executive Officer, Collins Magalasi over reasons the law enforcers are yet to disclose buy Nyasa Times understands its part of “clearing the rubble of corruption. ”
The National Police public relations officer, James Kadadzera, confirmed the development, adding that Magalasi has been arrested alongside Bright Mbewe from the procurement Office and Mera Spokesperson Patrick Maulidi.
But Kadadzera refused to disclose reasons of their arrest to avoid as investigations are underway.
The arrests follows reports of corruption in the procurement of a new mobile laboratory fuel testing van which MERA awarded to City Motors for the contract value of K704 million.
On 7th May 2019, MERA paid City Motors MK563, 200,000.00 which translates into 80 percent as advance payment.
MERA advertised for the procurement of a mobile fuel testing laboratory van. On 3rd April 2019, MERA entered into a contract with City Motors for the supply of the said laboratory van for the contract value of K704 million.
Almost a year later, on 17th April 2020, MERA paid MK140.8 million to City Motors translating to 20% of the contract sum.
The mobile laboratory van was delivered to MERA in April 2020, a year after the contract was agreed. Furthermore, delivery was made almost a year after the 80 advance payment.
The contract indicated that the van would be an Iveco Daily Panel but what has been delivered is a Mitsubishi.
Can you take Muhara to fiscal for questioning as why he used to receive 2500 litres for diesel vehicle in a month.
So Muhara only 2500litres per month= 2500x660kwacha/litre=MK1,650,000.00X12Months= MK19,800,000.00X72Months(6yrs in power) = MK1,425,600,000.00(One Billion Four Hundred Twenty Five Million Six Hundred Thousand Kwacha Only Muhara spent for 6 years these thieves have been in power from 2014 to 2020 June 23. Oooooooh My Loving God forbid Malawi.
Ndiye wina aziti I refute plunder of one trillion it is propaganda I think he needs to be investigated too. This is burning for sure.
Colin’s Magalasi…Chirunga alumni and batch mate! Sad that you have ended up this way! Many of us your college mates were proud of you and happy for your ascendancy. We hope you are innocent otherwise it will be a waste of talent for you to end up in prison for PLUNDER!
Is he a Chirunga Alumini. Shame on him. Chirunga produces presisidents(Chakwera and Chilima). Its only university of Jerusalem that produces thieves.
So he is not among us the Chirunga products, we have disowned him
How did ODPP approve the procurement. Nab the guys at ODPP as well. Investigate all officers at ODPP and some one will spill the beans
Secondly why did MERA buy the van when there was already similar equipment on a truck at MBS to test fuels at the filling stations
Let’s make Malawi great again and stop those in charge from stealing public money. Stop the PSs and Directors from possessing fuel cards because of kusungula into cash. What was the point of giving Muhara 2500 litres of fuel? A diesel engine modern car with commonrail technology can go up to 800 kms on full tank and maximum is 100 litres. Does it mean Muhara used to 25 full tanks in a month? That means refuelling his vehicle everyday yet he spent three quarters of his days in the office. If you do the calculations you will see that we cannot use even 400 liters in a month. It is a way of stealing government money. Let the OS take charge of fuel and be held accountable. This is just an example.
Let the police do they job and whoever stole my tax must face punishment.
I know Collins Magalasi from his humble beginnings, a nobody by then wachimidzimidzi ndi mkamwa momwe. Mano opanda formula zigweru zokhazokha. From no where I just saw the guy’s lifestyle has changed. Kugona azimayi became the order of the day. I suspected something wasn’t right but he became too mighty and untouchable forgetting where he was coming from! This guy has been feeding his uncountable prostitutes with out taxpayers money! And he has a wife odzimva and wammwano! Akakhala matendawo ndiye waagawatu osati sewero. Ndiye aimva kuwawatu Nyekhwe ndi aja amati a Cash Madame aja. Kaya ine ndili ku ma stand watching!
Umphawi haunted him for a long time.
Osazisekelera zigawengazi, even chi nyapapi chamanja osokelera ngati a bakha chikubisala mu mchenga usachisiya
Koma ya zilikoliko
As the witch hunting of Lomwe people continues. Chakwera usamaletu. Dzuwa linyenga mdima usaka. Ili ndi dziko.
ucila
Stupid Nyusesi! Alomwe alomwe chani apa? There are other lomwe’s who were not involved in this tsunami looting, tell me if they have been arrested! Government isn’t stupid to arrest persons who didn’t commit any crimes! Music Ati paja munkati Nyekhwe ndi imeneyo. Mbola ya Nyekhwe njowawa kuposa ya njuchi
As your name reads posting Nyusesi
Nyekhwe a Lomwe
As witch hunting on Lomwe people continues. Chakwera samalatu!!!!! Dzuwa linyenga, mdima ukusa. Ili ndidziko .
What is the issue here?
1. Is the K704 million not realistic for such a specialized vehicle?
2. Was this a sole supplier? What were the quotations from the other suppliers if any?
3. Was advance payment of 80% part of the contract and included in the advert as such?
4. Was it mentioned at contract negotiations that the delivery of the vehicle would take about a year to deliver?
5. Is one year delivery of such a specialized vehicle not realistic, noting that the laboratory equipment fitted was from other sUppliers possibly from different countries?
7. To be fair I do not think the supply of Mitsubishi vs Iveco is relevant. The cost a vehicle in this transaction is minimal compared to the lab equipment. It’s not as if it is Toyota vs Mercedes Benz. Sensational reporting!!
6. I suppose for the police to arrest them they may have smelt a rat, BUT what is it? Not clear in this story.
As said, the police do not want to disclose the rot that they have found. Remember that some officers from MERA were arrested first, these might have spilled enough evidence to warrant the arrest of Magalasi.
So you have no idea of what a procurement contract means? The lab equipment stops being mobile if the vehicle breaks e.t.c. there was a reason why it was specified in the contract in the first place.
Unless there is an addendum/variation and a tender committee decision accepting that variation, the contract is likely not fulfilled and if payment continues to be made, then there is negligence by the procuring officer/entity and … a question of fraud!!!
U must be a stupid cadet honestly, so u are defending such plunder of buying a car almost @ 1billion? What type of car is this idiot, to do what in our country, useless cadets
And you Master must be a stupid Young Pioneer. Do you think Magalasi was as stupid as you are to forgo all the procurement processes. You idiot what do you know about procurement. You and your big mouth should brace for hard times should DPP make it back in 2025
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,munyapa kikikikikik.Dpp is dead complete no resurection,stay put and watch
DPP and Mulhako will NEVER rule Malawi again! DPP relied on getting 38% of the votes and ruling by promoting nepotism and Mulhakoism! Even to the point of Mulhako CEO getting fuel from ESCOM? With 50%+1 and all the PLUNDER that DPP did…no way to will come back! 10 years from now DPP will be dead! And this year….will Mulhako meet at Chonde? Where will Mutchanakhwaye get fuel from??
DPP is gone
it is dead and burried forever, maliro akatuluka mnyumba sabwelelatu choti muziwe, busy defending thieves useless thug
If you dont know the facts, you should keep quiet
Mk 704 million is equal to a small aircraft. It was not a specialized vehicle. It was the equipment inside the vehicle that was specialized. City Motors have no experience in Lab equipment and back up service. Advance by government is paid against a bank guarantee, which city motors did not submit. The average price at the tender opening was 225 million form 7 bidders. There are various procurements connected with equipment oil depots as well. Why did MERA have to buy this without MBS involvement
ROT 🇲🇼
‘Elias Hausi’ amutenganso posachedwa. Ma cadet awononga dziko kwambiri. No medication in our hospitals. Very sad.
Koma Dziko linafikatu povunda zedi hahahaha pano ndinthawi yoti abwezeno
I was wondering when Colins would go in, he stinks of corruption and he should also explain how BEAM got the deal to be the sole garbage collector for City Assembly.
From this story, it has to be proven that indeed there was theft through a gap/gaps in the procurement process followed. Going by procurement of a commodity that has to be imported from a foreign based company through a local company and the commodity being according to customer taylor made specifications like this one, it is a norm for a foreign based company to demand upfront payment of agreed % though it must hang in the
supplier’s bank account controlled by a letter of credit .It is also a norm to import through a local company being a specialist in the commodity and conversant in its technical language. It is also a norm to have long lead time in this regard over a year to a single special commodity produced on unique process line than through a mass production line. In this context, the commodity becomes more expensive. It is also a norm to make changes to the specifications as long as these changes are included on the waiver clause of the contract hence Iveco to Mitsubishi provided cetrus paribus and that these changes go through the approval process by the very authority that innitially approved it.Perhaps the main concern was about the short period of time- 3 weeks in preparing a contract, getting it vetted and approved usually by the board and in this context, 3 weeks was just very short compared to the commercial risks involved in the price of this magnitude. Probe them and let’s hear from their side.
Looike backing kikiki
Normally you create an Escrow account where the said deposit is kept like a safe haven in between the supplier and buyer but not what was done in this transaction. Many questions unanswered when you choose ladies shoes , and you are supplied men’s shoes that is breach of a contract, there is no contract period so Iveco vehicle and you are given a Mitsubishi vehicle , there is no contract here. Kuli ntchito ine Mfumu Sitola ndinakuuzani kumudzi kuno kulibe kolapushoni koma Ku bomako ndi m’tauni. Tisiyeni ife kumudzi kuno tizidya nkhuku zomwe timapasidwa
I don’t see anything wrong in the said procurement, the problem with most of the people in Malawi is that we lack technical understanding on certain things ,
I got pop corn ready for this movie. This guy had hookers left, right and centre. Buying them cars like sweets. Tili pano kukuwuzani kuli chuma cha boma. Kodi chibwenzi chake china chija chili ku America, chasowatu? Pay back time!
Koonda kaja?
These people were swimming in cash.
No wonder women was the order of the day.Payback time has come
It’s reaping time
Drain the swamp please. Let these thugs rot in jail
Soon. We will arrest Mr Arthur Peter Mutharika and Ms Gertrude Mutharika. That’s clearing the rubble my friends!
Waiting for cadets to write nonsense
Nkhalamba kukamwa. Arrest all thieves.
Mwana wa dadi Dr Collins Magalasi arrested. This guy is just a big crook. Happy your dadi is out of power and we can touch you now. Tiyeni mukapangila mulhako komweko. I think by end September mukhala mutakwana nonse ku cell. Kuba is not development. Kukhala mtsogoleri olola anthu a mtundu wake okha kumaba is not development. Lero mwaona, only your tribe is being arrested. Shame on adadi ndi ana awo