Treasury Czar Ben Botolo risks arrest for contempt of court

Secretary to Treasury Ben Botolo risks arrest for contempt of court after he failed to turn up for a court hearing at the High Court in Zomba over pensions for retired Malawi Defence Force  (MDF) soldiers.

High Court judge Redson Kapindu summoned Botolo to explain to the court why the government was failing to pay pension money to some soldiers who retired from MDF five years ago.

Instead of attending to the court hearing, Botolo instead sent the director of pensions in the ministry of Finance who explained to the court what the government was doing about the issue.

However, this did not go down well with the ex-soldiers’ lawyer Sunduzwayo Madise who applied for Botolo’s contempt of court charges.

“Today, the court was hearing the contempt of court case. He can be jailed for up to two years or fined if found guilty,” said Madise.

Madise, who took up the case in 2013, said the government has now started processing the pension money for the former MDF soldiers.

Govt., US to decide on projects

under new MCC compacts

BY OWEN KHAMULA

US ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer said a team of experts America will jet into the country early next year to assess and discuss with the Malawi government projects to be undertaken under the new development compact by Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Malawi has been approved to seek another MCC, a United States of America government agency after it successfully completed the first compact of K259 billion (US$350 million) energy project which closed on September 21, 2018.

“A couple of teams will come in the country early next year to decide the biggest constraint on Malawi development, last time it was energy, this time it can be irrigation, rural power but the government of Malawi will decide,” said Palmer.

She said rural feeder roads is another constraint to Malawi development, saying the government might decide to take even more than one project.

Symon Itaye, the chairman of the Millennium Challenge Account Board in Malawi said the second compact project might not be in energy.

“Let us wait and see, we will have to make thorough consultations on this,” said Itaye.

Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe said president Peter Mutharika learnt the news of the new compact with delight, saying the country scored 65 per cent on tackling corruption to the scorecard  in the first compact.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :