Not fake news! Crossroads Hotel confirms getting payment from State House
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Reyneck Matemba has said that the bureau will investigate suspicious payment by State House for its four foreign guests allegedly for inflating figures for business at Crossroads Hotel at its Lilongwe unit.
Crossroads Hotel earlier issued a statement dismissing an earlier Nyasa Times report, saying the hotel has had no dealings with State House in connection with Kiza Aziz Elias–who is posing as an agent hosting three “Israeli security agents” at Crossroads Hotel at the expense of the tax payer.
The statement claimed Nyasa Times had published “malicious allegations”, saying the hotel did not receive any Local Purchasing Order from State House nor has it received any payment.
Presidential press secretary Brian Banda said State House could not make a comment on the matter, saying this would be “dignifying fake news.”
He said: “Crossroads Hotel, as the owner of the invoices in question, has issued a press release stating that the story in question is false. As such, State House has no further comment to make on this matter, because dignifying fake news with a response does not serve the interest of Malawians.”
But one of Crossroads Hotel director Sameer Scaraine said they withdrew the statement dismissing Nyasa Times as false story because after checking with their records, they had discovered that was an iota of truth because a cheque worth K12.5 million was paid directly from a State House account.
He confirmed that Kiza Aziz Elias–whom the information Nyasa Times has gathered also described as Miguel Elias – has been lodging at Crossroads Hotel with the said “Israelis” from the 5th of July 2020 and indeed paid K12.5 million cheque from State House.
But Sacraine said K12.5 million is the only known payment from State House, saying the other bills has been footed by Miguel.
Miguel – trading as Chitundu Distributers – confirmed he was doing some work for State House, hence his payment for his stay at the hotel in a hotel room of $350 a night.
According to Sacraine, the State House cheque was paid by Miguel.
“K12.5 million was only cheque from State House because Miguel has been paying cash all these days,” he said.
He said the State House guests were initially accommodated in suites that cost $350 per night but were offered $300 as a reduction – about K225 000 per night.
Sacraine said after lodging in the suites for about eight days, they asked to be moved to other rooms which costs $90 per night “and they were in these rooms for about a month.”
He said Miguel was still a guest at Crossroads Hotel and has since moved out of $300 room to a cheaper one.
Following detailed information from Scaraine, the matter is not “fake news” as alluded by State House and Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has since asked ACB to probe the matter.
Matemba said the matter will be followed thoroughly.
But Crossroads Hotel said it does not “condone corruption and theft of public funds” as such it says it cannot be used as “a conduit to defraud the government.”
Recently, Member of Parliament for Mzimba North Yeremiya Chihana (Alliance for Democracy-Aford) made allegations that some officials in the President Lazarus Chakwera administration were corrupt, receiving money from some Malawian businesspersons of Asian descent.
He was stampeded by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators to sweep the matter under the carpert.
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Nyasatimes is the only media house which is doing proper investigative journalism and is currently the only media house that is reporting issues as they are without bias. Congratulations and keep it up! We would have loved if Nyasatimes had also established a Television and radio which could be used to disseminate real information to all Malawians. We will not be surprised to see Nyasatimes wiping out all the awards as the best media house this year. The other media house like Times, the nation and MBC are just sitting phwii pampando not knowing what to do. Why don’t you just close your media houses you mother fuckers. We are tired of you bitches.
I cry for my Malawi
Kumva mkhwangwa ili m’mutu. Ine kudabwa, lero ma political analyst sakumveka bwanji? Mwina ali kaye ku chimbudziiii?
Chosamva anachiphikira m’masamba. Waona nkhanga, wataya chinziri. Tonse Alliance woooo!! mpaka 2025, no absence, no sick report. Gule adzapita kwao mu 2025, basi ndinanena nde ndanenanso basi!!!
Where there is corruption there is an Indian. Crossroads would not have been paid the money without prior arrangement. Any honestly Rev Excellency Chakwera, Israeli’s with some agent? What is going on Sir, are you not repeating what led to Bakili Muluzi, Bingu, Mama Corruption Banda and APM being failures and enemies of the people. Please Bwana what are you doing in the name of God stop it Sir
Tonse tisolole govt
Despicable bandits replaced by more bandits,didn’t think my vote would bring in more robbers dressed in different regalia.
Same Script Different Actors….
Kodi why do you deal with amwenye we have prominent businessmen and women who can do better than amwenye. I believe its because amwenyewa amakhala atawapasa mabwanawa big chunks of money before hand. Shame on Malawi ndithu
Every government transaction,doesn’t matter who the supplier /contractor/service providers are.corruption is involved,there is always a “cut” for big kahuna’s/technocrats/politicians.
With the integrity the Mec chair, Chifundo Kachale run the election and the extent of plunder we discovered was going on under DPP, I celebrated the Chakwera/Chilima victory like nobody’s business. I really believed that real change had come to Malawi. That celebration was however brought to a screeching halt the moment the family cabinet list was announced. I completely lost trust in this leadership. Everything else that’s following, failure to prosecute cases, taking bribes, capturing media, failure to adhere to 60-40 gender balance (followed by the arrogance of asking for names of qualified women as if names for the appointed men were supplied), these inflated laptop price and hotel bills are all coming as no surprise. But what makes it worse is that they are repeating the very same things that the previous regime was voted out for. If we cannot even trust a Reverend to run Malawi without corruption and bribery, Where’s the hope for Malawi??
Brian Banda lero ndiye he is backing umbava and yet he was the one pressing Dpp ndalama ndisatanadi eti. Mr Matemba musaope gwilani ntchito momasuka Chakwera si good leader
Eish nowhere to run Malawi is very difficult to rule every politician come and lie cleaning the rubble just to change the people but still the same situation
ACB do your work we heard u kuti u had been influenced by parties in power before and that this time Chakwera has told us that there would be no political interference whatsoever so carry out ur investigations thoroughly ife zomatitengera kumtoso a ndalewa tatopa nazo. Once i said that any regime from 2019 beyond should expect fireworks because many malawians are well aware of their rights than it was 25 years ago in this regard anyone who indulge in such malpractice should face the law no matter what this is our country. I vividly remember what Chilima told us in one of his rallies that as long as the flag of malawi is green, red and black nobody and nobody can threaten us because we are more than ready to die for our country. SO true to his wors, him and chakwera are there in power now we will implement their words paja akulu akulu anati ukayenda siya phazi koma ngati usiye mlomo iiiiii ukupeza ndiyeno ndi zimenezi. Maso ife ali tcheru kooopsa mpaka tiwone whatever the previous government was being accused of is never repeated by this regime izo ndiye adziwe kulikonse komwe aliko.
Brian Banda, you were either lying or Kalumbu lied to you. Either way, shame on you. Be careful next time.
12.5 million from 65 million?
That’s one cheque.. the rest was paid in cash.. meaning the rest is untraceable. I.e went to pockets
If Chakwera will not be watchful, he will fall in the same pit as other presidents before him because of the rent seekers. Akamati anthu omwe amuzungulira President akuchita ABC zimatere. Amwenye always are found in the centre of all misgivings.
A president palibe chomwe angachite. Adatiuza kuti Mia and his wife are merit appointment. He cant push them. shame.
This is not good news for tonse government.
The post of Presidential press officer is doomed and will never work. Look at Trump, how many press officers has he fired? You can’t know everything that goes behind the scene and yet you rush into denying anything that is being said. So wrong!! Worse still we have to be told lies every week just to justify their jobs.
Fraud aside, how can a country entrust state security matters in a mercenary individual? Is the Tonse alliance government serious about this? The army commander and inspector general of police should get state security instructions from an individual, is this what Chakwera wants? Someone who has been selling nandolo, maize, khobwe, beans has all over a sudden become an agent of state security, sure? I don’t think even the perceived Israelis are real. There is no way Israel would deal with an unknown individual on state security. Why not deal with the state of Israel instead of a con middle man?
State security entrusted in hands of a “Dobadoba”.absolute codswallop,in simple English,rubbish ,garbage,why would anybody engage a middleman in such serious security matters,looks like the beginning of another “heist “oh Lord help us.
Ku State Hawusi ndiye komwe ayalukile aBrian
Apa MCP iyesetsa kuthekela kulikonse mpaka nkhaniyi izizile
Nawonso aZodiac ndi aTimes
sakuigunda nkhaniyi
Owner of zodiac is minister of information in the same government, times has links to the kamudzu family, what do you expect? It’s State capture worse than Dpp. Tilira sitinati. Tonse is an alliance of thieves. Achina Jb Okuba ndege Ali mommo
Khumbo Kachalinso okuba mabed ku dowa kupita nao kwao ali mu tonse momwemo shaaaa chtsalapo nchiyani mmepa?????
Do whatever you can. But please don’t involve HRDC. Who said every issue has to go through HRDC to be tell ABC to act. Malawians lets not be duped here. HRDC is a civil society any govt agency doesn’t answer to them. Let them lobby their own issues according to their mandate but for now they are so compromised to be involved in this. Let ACB take this case because it merits such own it’s own and not because HRDC has asked them.
kumeneko ndiye timati dziko liyamba kulongosoka, akangoyesera kusolora pompo pompo ayaluke bansi amenewo amangeni mwachangu kuti ena atengerepo phunziro, mukangobisa nkhani imeneyi tikumana kusewu bansi
This is not adding up, but the world is watching
you cannot rule out a dpp hand in this.
foetsek
HRDC ikubwerapo bwanji pa nkhaniyi, mcp and hrdc must fall
These are enemies of the states and we cannot believe them now. They have cooked up stories to back them up.
A Brian yankhani osati zabodza apa
HRDC, be as vocal as with the other issues.
Journalism at its best.. Nyasatimes you initially broke the story with 65 million kwacha and Crossroads are confirming K12 million – the other bill being paid cash
add K12.5 millón to some cash we will reach 65million because there are other deals – wait
Actually if you read the story thourighly, you note that some payments were made to the agent Miguel who inturn ( by connecting the links) paid the Cross roads. The direct payment from State House a portion of total payment is the K12.5 m. May be this where the K65m comes from.
So where did the other 52.5m go to ,your guess is good as mine,in politics history always repeats itself,hence in Malawi beginning of the end,the end is nigh.despicable bandits replaced by more bandits.oh my lord,didn’t think my vote would bring a new wave of robbers dressed in different regalia.
Kapondamgaga and colleague, please clear your names.
TONSE GOVERNMENT IS THE MOST CORRUPT GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD CHONSECHO KOMA KULANDA MAKALA NDI NKHUNI AMPHAWI , MZOMERA AMUMANGIRA 250,000 CHONSECHO MIYEZI 4 YOKHA ABA 1.2 TRILION
You are just bitter with Tonse Government
Muchira a cadet