The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Malawi has confirmed that it is sending three of its investigators to Zambia to probe the procurement of 100 000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize from Malawi’s western neighbour.
However, ACB director Lucas Kondowe could not say when the investigators will leave for Zambia.
Kondowe said the bureau has since taken up the matter to investigate and will work in conjunction with the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia to analyse documents related to the deal to establish, if there was an element of corruption.
The ‘maizegate scandal is involving K26 billion Malawian Kwacha.
State trader Admarc insists that it is buying the staple grain from Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), a government agency, despite documents show that Admarc may have used a private Zambian company that may be more expensive than if the deal were government-to-government.
Admarc has reportedly paid $34.5 million (about K26 billion Malawian Kwacha) for the maize, which is $13 million (about K9.5 billion Malawian Kwacha) more than the $21.5 million (about K15 billion Malawian Kwacha) it could have paid had it bought the maize from Zambian Government.
But both ZCF Executive Director James Chirwa and Malawi’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, George Chaponda, claimed that no payment has been done to the maize that has already been ferried into Malawi because one of the terms on the contract was that ADMARC will only start paying when ZCF deliverers 10,000 tones.
Why the Zambian ACC is still sitting on their bums when their own president is involved tells a story all its own. Now the ACB of Malawi will do the job for them and hopefully help send Lungu to jail.
They are risking. Those Malawians will go back rich or we will read something worse. Already we read in Malawian news that there was a death at Protea Hotel in Lusaka, on maize deal duty.
So was it really true that the Wise Men came from the East and bought maize at 50% premium? On a serious note, ZCF cannot be a govt agent. Cooperatives are not supposed to be govt depts. Or am I missing something here? FRA is the govt agent these foolish Malawians should have dealt with.
Save your money and just stay in there in Lilongwe….ACC will just take you on a wild goose chase as top officials are involved in this!!
This is a non starter bane, I agree with Jay Jay, just wait and see how the ACC will dununa reverse the malawian outfit!
I’m preparing a dossier on this scandal that will make the Trump dossier look like child’s play.
When we are done with Edward he will wish his throat had kept him away from state house.
I actually do not see any corruption here. Why is the Malawi ACB investigating a matter that is the subject of a Commission of Inquiry? Corrupt Mutharika is trying to deflect attention from his own onions. Lungu has done nothing wrong. Zambia has not been paid the money. It is being held in a third party bank to be released when Zambia delivers the milisi. What lolapshioni?
Pathetic!!! Malawi of all countries showing Zambia how things are done?? In my life time…. Malawi should be a province of Zambia you nutheads..
@Voice Of Reason, i totally agree…
I support that idea. I would like to include Katanga (especially the Pedicle) as another future Province of Zambia. We should buy these dimwits out.
Very true. This has been my thinking and wish all along. The pedicle, even in history when the Berlin conference (Scramble for Africa) was carving out our continent the “boot of katanga” was negotiated by the Belgians from the British for them (belgians) to have access to the rich fishing grounds of the bangweulu swamps and the water lechwe, with the British being given in return western parts of Uganda now. I strongly support co-opting parts of Katanga into Zambia..either in federated form or entirely as parts of Copperbelt or Luapula provinces. As for Malawi there better off being part of a bigger territory.
@2.1 Gbouy and 2.2 Buckteeth.. may be we need to table an agenda item at AU to relook boundaries. I think in one way or another, we need to find a way of how the pedicle can become part of Zambia or atleast remove the idea of it being a congolese territory because it is such an inconvenience to the follow of development to Luapula. I believe Mobutu’s time was the best to ask to buy off the pedicle as he was greedy,loved money and cared little about the well being of Katangese except their wealth from copper and cobalt. He wouldn’t have minded to forego a small stretch of about 70,000 sq Km with millions of $ in his account as the Congo (Zaire) by then would have still kept the main mining areas of Lubumbashi,Kipushi and Likasi! I believe we should still talk it over with the DRC!
Loop holes already covered. There is nothing they will find. Remember this thing is alleged to have been handled at that level
So was it really true that the Wise Men came from the East and bought maize at 50% premium? On a serious note, ZCF cannot be a govt agent. Cooperatives are not supposed to be govt depts. Or am I missing something here? FRA is the govt agent these Malawians should have dealt with.
I agree that there’s nothing they will find especially that bigwigs have been reported to be implicated in the scam. They will just be coming for holidays and making lots of money in allowances.
Daily Nation news paper where are you. Can dig deeper and give the nation the maize gate full story. It happened in Zambia why ain’t we aware of the full story. We are aware that president Lungu will stand in 2021 and let us be aware in full on the same.
Nobody sensible reads the Daily Nation.
Buck Teeth Lungu you are spot on…no person of a sane mind ever reads the daily nation!
Lungu needs needs to die. Awononga ziko
NEZ you are the one dieing. Lungu will even live longer than kk
1. The head of state is mentioned in the scandal ……… No Comment from Amos Chanda,
2. ACC still on leave / Industrial break
3. Dora, just came back from Mike Tyson and other “men”
4. Lubinda, kaya
Our ACC is busy sleeping, waiting for directive from Chakolwa Lungu.
Malawi like Taiwan is a renegade province of Zambia,they should just shut up.
All the best investigating this sensitive issue especially if “kumutomola zina nikulakwa” is involved
Useless story wasting our time when we all know this is going nowhere. Shutting it is sometimes the best thing to do.
Bonse BENA Nyasaland, bakabwalala.
Zesco, please we don’t have power in Kabangwe from 06hrs in the morning and its now 12 40. What is the problem kanshi. This is the only forum I can use. There are maximum reshuffles and appointments of management at Zesco which we are told are to improve service delivery but things are not improving. For crying out loud, our load shedding is 6 to 10 in the morning. What is wrong with this organisation?
A PRIVATE Zambian company that was set to make US $13 million in a 100 000 tonnes maize deal with Malawi has now sued the Zambia Co-operative Federation for breach of contract for failing to supply the maize.
In Malawi, the contract has become the subject of a commission of inquiry with investigations centering on the expensive price of US$395 per tonne compared to US$250 per tonne.
Meanwhile, the Malawian Minister of Agriculture has distanced his government from the maize contract with Kaloswe Commuter and Courier Limited, and has confirmed that his country bought the maize in a government to government contract through ZCF/ADMARC.
The Malawian minister has applauded a commission of inquiry appointed by that country’s Head of State, Professor Peter Mutharika to investigate the…
Investigating a sitting Head of State in Africa is not a wise use of resources- time, money and effort.
This just shows you how corrupt lungu is…..not a word from him as if his name has not been linked to this scandal.
The man was already a fraud convict before he became president, do you now expect any integrity from him now ?
@ Voice Of Reason
More to follow, at the moment Malawi has set up a commission of enquiry to probe the maize scandal, what response do we get from Zambia ziiiiiiiiiiiiii. Malawi, out of all countries in the region is finding Zambia wanting.
Put in an adage, a ‘strong looking thief caught red handed in a weak looking man’s house, gets a big beating from a weak man.
It’s the same old stale story . U guys need to work then wasting your pressiuos time reading this horrible stories .
Our toothless ACC can never work independently in any corruption matter concerning state house and top government officials because they are intimidated by the appointing authority. This will be repetitive for every party that assumes government unless the president stops appointing the head of anti corruption commission. Therefore we cannot see any tangible outcome in this maize gate scandal. Those Malawian anti corruption investigators mean very well but they will not succeed with Zambian Anti Corruption Commission as the the outcome is predetermined.
You Tonga’s can call Lungu anything derogatory he remains the president of Zambia! Lungu has nothing to with Malawi’s inefficiencies! How can anomalies in such procurement not be noticed at tendering stage? Malawi has no tender procedures? Something fishy? Just trying yo tarnish Zambia’s name! No more maize for Malawi!