Mutharika appoints Commission of Inquiry to probe K26bn ‘maizegate’:  Malawi ex-chief justice Msosa to head Zambia import deal inquiry

President Peter Mutharika has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to the procurement of 100 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize from Zambia involving K26 billion.


Msosa: Retired chief justice is chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on maizegate

Announcing the Commisison, Chief Secretary to government, Lloyd Muhara,  President Mutharika established the Inquiry in accordance with the Inquiries Act  Section 2 (1) and the Constitution in Section 89 (1) (g).

Muhara said the inquiry will work on “matters surrounding the procurement of maize” by State-grain trader Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) from Zambia,   Malawi’s western neighbour.

Retired chief justice Anastasia Msosa has been appointed to head the inquiry.

Other commissioners appointed include Isaac Kayira the public auditor, Dr Janet Banda the solicitor general and Mike Chinoko as secretary of the Commission.

The appointments are with effect from the 1st of January, 2017,” Muhara said in a statement made available to Nyasa Times on New Year’s Day.

According to Muhara, the Commission of Inquiry will start work “immediately.”

The Commission has been tasked to submit its report to the President by January 31, 2017.

The import deal – christened as ‘maizegate – has been subject of media frenzy in Malawi as leaked documents show that Admarc used a private Zambian company that may be more expensive than if the deal were government-to-government.

Admarc insists that it is buying the staple grain from Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), a government agency.

According to figures seen in documents, Admarc has r paid $34.5 million (about K26 billion) for the maize, which is $13 million (about K9.5 billion) more than the $21.5 million (about K15 billion) it could have paid had it bought the maize from Zambian Government.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director General Lucas Kondowe has also disclosed that the bureau will work with the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia to analyse documents related to the deal to establish, if any, wrongdoing.

ACB has taken up the matter after members of Parliament (MPs) under the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Food Security pushed bureau to launch an inquiry.

Meanwhile, Public Accounts Committee (Pac) of Parliament has urged President Mutharika to suspend Admarc Chief Executive Officer Foster Mulumbe and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda to “create a conducive environment for investigations.”

PAC chairperson Alekeni Menyani said if the Commission of Inquiry and ACB work is to be credible, Mulumbe and Chaponda should be relieved of their duties.

“Here we have a whole Cabinet minister being implicated in the allegations, yet he still remains in his position. Here we have a whole CEO of Admarc being implicated yet still remains in his position,” said Menyani.

He said people implicated will do everything possible to defeat justice if they feel some underhand dealings in relation to the maize issue will be uncovered.

The procurement of the maize from Zambia was part of government’s response to the crisis.

Government borrowed $34 million (about K26 billion) from the PTA Bank for the purchase of the maize.

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Parliament PAC
Parliament PAC
7 years ago

ACB you are simply a disgrace. When your jobs are taken away from like this it means you no longer relevant or trust – Shame on you Mr Kondowe. Which cases have you concluded successful. Corruption is about perception on what is expected to be done right. our perception on ACB is this body is corrupt and mu be investigated as to why to it does not follow up some cases. Parliament Finance Committee please investigate ACB otherwise we may think we a watchdog when we do not have.

Zinyengo
Zinyengo
7 years ago

If the resurrected Lazarus was not dead in 2014,this man is fit to be the president not this green card holder.I will try to give him my vote come 2019.Enawa tinawavotera chifukwa chomvera chisoni Bingu.Ndinabetsatu!

Chotibee Kwamereka
Chotibee Kwamereka
7 years ago

Chaponda is the most wicked and crooked minister ever. Better fire him together with Mulumbe and arrest them. They are bloody killers making lives of poor Malawians even harder. Chaponda lived in Zambia prior to political transition in Malawi. He was another miser worse than a cathedral mouse but now multibillionaire. He may be one of the directors of Kaloswe company

Helpless Help
Helpless Help
7 years ago

this proffessor of lawlessness, eish!

Wanga ndi yemweyo
Wanga ndi yemweyo
7 years ago

Commission of Inquiry my foot! I just want to add my voice to those who have reminded us that in Malawi, such commissions never produce results. The ONLY commission I have known whose work reached its conclusion was the Mwanza Murder Case Commission in the early morning of our democracy. All the others that have followed? Nil! Nix! I have a suggestion, Mr APM. If you want the truth to come out, send the entire ADMARC management on forced leave, form a grouping from the media houses except MBC to do the investigating, and give instructions to the guys on… Read more »

Apao Kugola
Apao Kugola
7 years ago

I wonder what calibre of a lawyer APM. The way he handles issues bordering on justice begs a lot to be desired. It doesn’t require a law expert to suspend (not fire) those alleged to have misappropriated public resources before starting any form of investigation. Koma a president athuwanso pena amatichititsa manyazi bwanji. It is as if we voted for him while in our deep slumber or totally drunk. Shaa, paja even WhatsApp conversation imasanduka sedition.

Chief activist
7 years ago

so much as the inquiry is relevant but i got reservatiipon why i dont support the inquiry….flankly nd proffesionary speaking i find the inquiry malafide nd mecurial…….,guys how many inquiries have we had in this country nd tel me which one has succeeded?…….nd yu institute a commision of inquiry which for sure we kno has a given answer…,,,,inu lets act as human beings………..u mean the whole presdent is not aware of the scam on the maize deal…….nd u think Admarc isnt that aware hu is behind the scam. what i kno wen ever top authourities have been implicated they are… Read more »

Chatayika Phiri
Chatayika Phiri
7 years ago

Brovo APM though some do not consider you as a listening government. Malawians lets learn to give credit where it is due. No CSO or NGO has come up with a congratulatory message to the president for launching the commission of enquiry. Its high time we need to observe these things. In democracy we shall have only one leader at a time out of 12 candidates who competed in 2014. So it is our role to pray and give guidance if any to the leader i at that time. I appreciated Bishop Bvumbwe who said that even the opposition leaders… Read more »

Au Jerome
Au Jerome
7 years ago

iwechitsiru kwabasi, chimanga chabedwa uku nhawi yotamanda nyapapi ichoka kuti?

Gogodasi
Gogodasi
7 years ago

Bravo BNL for exposing thieves and not being threatened by the court injunctions.

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
7 years ago

Mr President you are really not a serious person. Lest you think you can fool us with stupid tricks like this. Commission of inquiry for what? Is ACB disbanded because of incompetence? If not. This is deliberate duplication of duties to cover some thing. Here is my opinion. All the parties involved, report to your office. Thus ADMARC, Ministry of Agriculture, ACB and The Commission of Inquiry. Reporting means getting instructions as well. Therefore, even your commission of inquiry has been given instructions of what to do… Out of these, only ADMARC can generating income. Thus why ADMARC was given… Read more »

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