Thieves gag Times over Zambia maize deal: Judge Kenyatta grants injunction to Admarc boss
State-produce trader Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) has rushed to High Court to seek a court injunction and gagged Malawi’s leading news organisation, Times Group, to stop revealing the rot in the procurement process of maize from neighbouring Zambia.
Admarc through lawyer Shepher Mumba, who has been a corporate governance lecturer at University of Malawi (Unima), sought a court injunction granted by High Court Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda stopping Times Group from writing about the maize deal.
The order said the publication should not report “false and untrue “ stories about Admarc in relation to the procurement of maize from Zambia.
However, it is yet to be seen if Times will obey the order as they have been reporting not false stories but actually the true picture of the rotten maize deal, which Nyasa Times has also been reporting and were first to cover the matter after Zambian opposition UPP leader, Saviour Chishimba blew the whistle.
The High Court warned that if the newspaper disobey the order – of writing false stories – they may be found guilty of contempt of court.
The order has also included reporter Ntchindi Meki and newspaper columnist Madalitso Mussa who is the author of Tales of Times.
The maize purchase deal is currently marred with controversy regarding contractual issues involving Admarc and a private Zambian company, Kaloswe Commuter and Courier Limited.
While Admarc boss Foster Mulumbe insists that Admarc is buying the staple grain from Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), a government agency, documents show that Admarc is actually using Kaloswe.
Meanwhile, Kaloswe is suing Admarc for breach of contract.
According to Kaloswe chief executive officer, Isaac Kapambwe, his company signed a contract with Admarc in June 2016 to purchase and deliver maize.
Kapambwe said his company has “all communications” on the deal with Admarc.
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Corruption ku Malawi sidzatha mpaka tsiku lomwe a Malawi adzachotse dpp pa mpando
I am failing to understand this corruption. If Admarc bought the maize plus cost of transporting it, will it not come to the $340 per ton? Coz maize costs $214 plus $90 for shipping plus cost of handling, plus insurance…I don’t understand where the corruption is… but also the writs against Admarc. .For what?
Kodi nkhani ya Hiwa CEO for Roads Authority ilipati? Disciplinary hearing inachitika? Abale inu what is happening in Malawi- palipose ma company a boma anthu akuweruka ndi matumba a dollar.
We need a very strong prosecution system in our justice delivery channels otherwise things are getting worse. and thieves are left alone to steal more and more. I wish all prosecution institution like police ACB, State Advocate Chambers had the calibre of strong and determined staff like Mary Kachale
Let all these thieves appear before no joking Judges like Justice Mtambo, Nyakwawa Usiwasiwa osati enawa angopereka three years imprisonment sentence for people who have stolen millions of kwachas
This is a very sad development. It is this very Kenyatta Nyirenda from Bwengu who spoiled the elections by passing what was 100% questionable. Now look at him again! He is playing the monkey tricks again. For how long will this go on?
Chambe always back up the rotten walking devil dpp, i believe your mind too is rotten and evil, you are a fool who needs to be uprooted together with your evil dpp. Were you there or part of the deal when admarc was purchasing maize?
…and the citizens are just watching, mtsiiiii
aaaaaaaaaa is that the case rushing to court shows insanity……nd ironically i smell that govt might be bhind the gagging since admarc is astatory body……but since govt has goofed it wants to go thru admarc wen im real sense its it obtaining an injuction…….simungandnamize apa
Seriously speaking the nation goofed in voting DPP back to power. These are economic terrorists of the 21st century.
Injunctions have marred our national legal integrity since the double regime of DPP govt. Maize is our staple food and it is proper for the us to be clearly told through various media houses of its source so that is eaten or used satisfactory. Its an abomination to eat food that come out of dirt. News papers are part of what makes us what we are in any circumstance, and it is absurd under any influence to intimidate them or institutions behind them as it is. Kenyatta as a Judge, could have advised Admarc to go to Macra( though not certain/reliable democratically), and pick the matter from there. It will be difficult to challenge the injunction as it has come from a difficult source where politics rules. Let voluntarily Admarc proscribe the injunction/remove for sanity sake.
Kodi title ya title ya article ndi Thievies gag Times…………………………….kapena Admarc CEO gags Times……………………………………….. where are we getting the Thieves
Admarc CEO and his crew are the thieves
Tikukuonanitu ndi ma injunctions anu komabe nthawi yakwana yoti muyaluke yembekezerani kumangidwa kutsogolo Kuno paja Kuno ndi kunja kkkkkk thieves
Tikukuonanitu ndi ma injunctions anu komabe nthawi yakwana yoti muyaluke yembekezerani kumangidwa kutsogolo Kuno paja Kuno ndi kunja
If the transaction is really clean, why getting a court injunction and here is somebody trying to defend ADMARC. Poor Malawi, MATCHONA will never help us and they want the gap between them and us to be even bigger. They ran away from Kamuzu and come back just to completely destroy Malawi. GOD is watching and one day somebody will be answerable to this.
AT central medical stores alipo bigger corruption, contracts ameperka opanda tendera under buy Malawi canmpaign at exagerrated prices, 10 times the normal prices, medicalgate
ooooh, @Mphache you are right 100%. I now remember George died in Zambia on official duties definately to assist the deal but went sour at the end heart attack. Onse apita basi ndi a Mlumbe omweo.
True Mpwache! How did Bakuwa die in Zambia? We just heard he died while on duty! So he was in Zambia there to broker this maize scam. Achina Kenyatta asaone ngati ali safe
It had to be Kenyatta, the buffoon!
Ok, so DPP is busy to sourcing money through dubious ways to buy 2019 election victory.. Since cashgate scandal, malawians and donors are very alet but. these evil deeds will be covered and with no evidence without ATI laws which can provide of concrete evidence to hiden evil deeds by Government.These people will do anything it takes to block it for fear of exposing bombshell.Wise Malawians and donors are watching.
ADMARC will do anything to protect its integrity . One needs to understand ADMARC’s position and in a normal international procurement circumstances, the maize process is just fine. The seller(ZCF) is not responsible to provide transport and clearing. A third party does and the buyer( ADMARC) is responsible for payment for transport and all the clearing transactions to the transporter.
But do Malawians who are emotionally charged understand that this how it works? If they do and suspect that there is still corruption in this process then the burden of proof rests with them. ADMARC must also be transparent fully and be cooperative to clear these suscipisions. The burden of proof that they indulged in a clean deal rests with them.
If Admarc bought maize straight from ZCF, the price would have been US$215 per tonne. Having used the middleman – Kaloswe (which is strange), Admarc has bought the maize at US$345 per tonne, a difference of US$130 per tonne. Even if we put into consideration that Kaloswe is to transport the maize to Malawi itself, is US$130 per tonne a fair charge? Which is translating into US$13 million for the whole 100,000 tonnes. Mind you, US$13m is equal to MWK9.7bn (at a rate of US$1 to MWK750)! Transport costs only, from a neighbouring country? Then how much would it cost to transport it from, say, Brazil?
Depending on where they are fetching it from. There these costs to be put into the equation : transport cost thus including return leg, insurance cost for the maize, clearing costs from bond in Zambia. Use of agents is no strange when it comes to foreign procurement even if it was sourcing from Brazil, Mexco etc, agents are always used to get to handle all the transactions that otherwise an importer will find it difficult to do on his own.
The burden of of proof is on those that want to probe the process and also ADMARC to clear their name.
One can not conclude that there is cashgate without investigations or else we are dealing with Kangaroo courts.
Chambe, is what you are saying in the contract between ADMARC (thieves) and Kaloswe Commuters and courier Limited. Why then is Kaloswe suing ADMARC for breach of contract if what say is true. Mind you two aspects of the contract are being looked at here; high price because of using 3rd party and breach of contract.
Do not bother defending misbehavior in a society. It’s a waste of time and expensive.
The country we call Malawi. I think it would be better if this country was a desert or just a forest reserve. It’s not fit to be a country with people in it. Why would the court issue an injunction to a Newspaper over stories that are true, stories that have evidence for all to see. And amongst all Judges, why this controversial Judge Kenyata Nyirenda wa DPP? This is why we really needed that ATI Bill as soon as yesterday. Otherwise we are heading nowhere, I mean, in the 20th century Newspapers should not be providing checks and balances to government institutions and it’s officials? This is sad and uncalled for in a democracy. This is not The Gambia where there’s no freedom of the press. By the way, what is Media Council of Malawi and MISA Mw Chapter? They should move in ASAP to vacate this stinking injunction. We want all the rot in this maize scam uncovered for all and sundry to see. I thot the best this creature answering to the name Mulumbe could do was just to resign for this shameful transaction, but alas! He’s up and down refuting this and that to clean the dirty. God is watching, mufa ndithuuuuuu! I rest my case.
NDIYE KUMATI DZIKO LATHU LICHITA BWINO! PPLE IN AUTHORITY SHD BE EXEMPLARY IN SERVING THE POOR PLZ!
If this was done in good faith, why an “Injunction” the rat is still smelling some where, i believe that eventhough you have obtained an injunction, it does not stop us from finding out more, and again we will have to find means of challenging this nonsense.
It is unfortunate that the government is being governed by amateurs, i hope Malawians will judge you accordingly come 2019.
I rest my case
No wonder poor George died in vain trying to cover this deal up. All for the sake of money in Chapondas pockets and to buy the next general election for DPP.