MRA letter got Mphwiyo shot: Demanded probe of Karim Batawalala – Dossier
Gun-shot survivor former Ministry of Finance Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo would have been history by now, blame his courage to write back at the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) boss to probe 15 more companies which were suspected to be evasive in tax remittances, Nyasa Times can reveal.
In an Intelligence Dossier, a Criminal Investigations Cops’ report, it reveals that Mphwiyo responded to a letter from MRA Commissioner General John Bizwick which requested the Secretary to the Treasury (ST) Radson Mwadiwa to stop payment to an Indian Businessman of Malawi decent – Abdul Karim Batawalala of Lido Enterprises.
Although the letter was addressed to the then Secretary to Treasury, Radson Mwadiwa dated 16th August, 2013, the former Finance Ministry chief did not respond to the letter for a month.
“We had several officials in the Ministry of Finance, Malawi Police Service and the Accountant General office on the radar when we were alerted that a payment of over K3 billion was going to be made to an Indian businessman (name withheld) through Treasury bills,” reads the report in brief.
The letter by Bizwick remained unanswered until a month later when on Friday 13th September, 2013, Mphwiyo responded to it saying no payment will be effected as per request in order to save money by knocking off what was owed to government and to the businessman as well.
It is alleged that between August 16 to September 13 everyone including the Minister of Finance Dr Ken Lipenga dodged the task to respond to the letter.
But Mphwiyo made a mistake that almost took his life. When he responded to the letter and signed it on behalf of the Secretary to Treasury, he asked MRA to include 15 more companies several owned by flamboyant Lilongwe based Indian businessmen Batawalala.
“The letter leaked and associates to the businessperson started making calls that morning. The Budget Director was under pressure to explain as to why he made that decision. He (Mphwiyo) was to leave Lilongwe that evening to attend his sister’s wedding but pressure at work culminating from the response letter to MRA made the trip impossible,” annals into the report indicate.
The other details of the dossier which Nyasa Times has seen includes details of who made calls to Mphwiyo during that day.
It also chronicles who he met before he was shot at the gates of his home.
This information still remains vital in the upcoming court proceedings of the shooting saga.
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