Thursday, March 28, 2024

Malawi’s former Agric minister arrested over Zambia maize deal

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President Edgar Lungu Meets Dr George Chaponda A Special Envoy of President of Malawi Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika who is Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development at State House in Lusaka - Picture By Eddie Mwanaleza/Statehouse 21-10-2016.
FILE: President Edgar Lungu Meets Dr George Chaponda A Special Envoy of President of Malawi Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika who is Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development at State House in Lusaka – Picture By Eddie Mwanaleza/Statehouse 21-10-2016.

Malawi’s former agriculture minister, George Chaponda, was arrested on Wednesday and faces graft charges over a procurement contract with neighbouring Zambia, his lawyer and the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Wednesday.

It is the latest governance scandal to hit the impoverished southern African nation, which suffers periodic food shortages and relies heavily on donor aid.

Malawi President Peter Mutharika in January ordered an investigation into a $34.5 million government maize order, after a Zambian opposition leader said he had seen documents showing Malawi had been charged $345 per tonne for 100,000 tonnes of Zambian white maize worth $215 a tonne.

Chaponda’s lawyer, Jai Bandam confirmed the arrest in a telephone interview with Reuters.

He could not say when his client would be taken to court.

Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau said in a statement that its “investigation had established that there were offences committed in the procurement of maize from Zambia.”

“Chaponda is likely to be charged with corruptly performing public functions, misuse of public office and possession of foreign currency contrary to” exchange control regulations, it said.

And several Malawian media outlets are reporting that the ACB also arrested former Chairperson for Grain Traders Association of Malaw Grace Mijiga Mhango and Rashid Tayub of Transglobe after establishing that offences were committed in the procurement of maize from Zambia.

ACB Senior Public Relations Officer, Egrita Ndala indicated in a statement that Chaponda will weekly be charged with corruptly performing public functions, misuse of public office and possession of foreign currency contrary to section, 25A(1), 25B (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act and Regulation 25A(1) of the Exchange Control Regulations as read with Section 3 of the Exchange Control Act respectively.

According to ACB, Mijiga Mhango will be charged with forgery contrary to Section 351 of the Penal Code while Tayub is expected to appear for the Bureau.

“On 14th July, 2017, the Bureau obtained a warrant of arrest for the suspects. On 19th July, 2017, the Anti-Corruption Bureau executed the warrants on the three,” reads the statement in part.
She said they would be taken to Court after the Bureau has recorded caution statements from them.

The statement further claims that in December 2016, the Bureau received a complaint alleging that procurement procedures were not followed in the procurement of maize from Zambia by ADMARC.

ACB has been conducting investigation into the matter and sent its officers to Zambia in January where they together with the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia interviewed various people whom it felt had information relevant to the matter.

On 21 February 2017, the Bureau conducted a search and seizure operation on various premises after it obtained search and seizure warrants from the court.

“The Bureau has in recent times come under intense pressure and scrutiny on this matter, others suggested we were under instruction from the executive to obstruct justice in this matter for political reasons.

“We wish to make it clear to the public and all stakeholders that the ACB remains an independent professional institution which operates independently without any influence from any one. The process of investigations can be complicated and needs to be conducted with due process and detailed care,”said Ndala.

She claimed the Bureau empathizes with the concerns of the public for speedy investigations but quickly pointed out that such calls, in a democracy, need to be balanced with the due process required under the law.

“It should also be understood that in some cases where accused persons are members of parliament, parliamentary immunity when they are sitting in parliament may also delay such processes,” the statement reads.

The bureau said like all accused persons, the accused remain “innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.”

36 COMMENTS

  1. Meanwhile in Zambia we have a F.OOL who claims to be a lawyer as a president…. you can’t get a drunk from a compound and make him a president, ask South Africans they now regretting with a villager called Zuma.

  2. Who are the accomplices in Zambia?.

    Crime cannot be one sided. The opposition UNPersonalD is involved?

  3. WE PRAISE MALAWIANS FOR ARRESTING AN ERRING MINISTER WHILE MALAWIANS PRAISE US FOR ARRESTING A LAW-BREAKING OPPOSITION LEADER

  4. But In Zambia That Case Died Jst Like A An Ant.

    The Zambian ACC Is As Dead As It Is. Obviously Dora Gave Everyone In The Commission Some Deep Pecks And Tight Hugs To Make The Case Die And Claim They Did Not See Any Corruption With Dora.
    Everything In Zambia Is Now Compromised And Dead, Police, Courts, Speaker, Judges, ACC, Etc.

    Malawians Have Arrested Their Own Proving That In Zambia Someone Must Be Arrested As Well.

  5. The ACB Of Malawi Is Independent And The ACC Of Zambia Is Compromised.

    What A Shame!!!
    Malawi Is Doing A Better Thing Than Us.

  6. The crime was committed in Malawi by Malawians involving Malawian foreign exchange. Zambia merely accomodated Malawis quest to buy a needed commodity.So stop this nonsense of always invoking The Honorable Ms Dora Siliyas name in this wholly Malawian Quagmire. Put it like this, you have never had her, dont have her, and will never have her! You can only pull the blanket over your head, turn off the lights and torture yourself all night!

  7. Late Sat destroyed ACC in Zambia when he included a clause in ACC that before ACC can investigate any of his PF people should first consult him. Zambia is lucky Sata is no more as was not fit for purpose. However, his ‘UBUTUTU WA FITITI’ has been inherited by Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Zambia is still victim of incompetent governance of corruption and backwardness. Am out of there.

    • $ata is dead. We cnt blame a dead man for what is happening to people alive. That could have been turned around by patriotic Zambians. Why haven’t they?

    • Iwe ci @ Munadekhane let ba Sata rest in peace, why bring him in an issue that was done when he was long gone? Dont talk ill about the dead who can not defend themselves. We have been told time and again that no wrong was commited on the Zambian side all they did was to facilitate the transaction, no Zambian maize nor money was stolen but you keep on slendering innocent Zambians, whats wrong with you?

    • I remember Kavindele Enock (snr) Saying ” ngamwa votela Sata tukabwelela kubututu”. The people never believed him that time but the man (Kavindele) was very right, and this is how we have found ourselves in this mud. He (Sata) thought Bank of Zambia were just there to print money as he wished.

  8. This is how low we have sunk. Malawi now appears more reliable to invest in than Zambia.

    Now watch as PF Govt try to argue that the Malawian ex-agric minister acted alone without a Zambian in the mix.

  9. Meanwhile someone is clocking 4months in prison. Keep on talking. We arrested hh for the corruption he did 20 yrs ago.

    • i wish you can be cited to court; we all think it is treason HH is locked up for. So you know better oval head.

    • @HH Oval Head! i really pity you. Your hate for an innocent man because of his achievement will consume you. You will die poor just like your father, Grand Father and his Grand father.

  10. Official Corruption is the norm in Zambia, it’s PF culture. Ministers get high praise and admiration for being super corrupt.
    They will say ” Ni mwamuna uja, ana sebenzesa mutu”
    Or “uubomba mwibala, alila mwibala”
    God help us.

  11. Hh now y driend you have just cintradicted your pf leaders, the police and HE ECL Think before u blog now HH is imprisoned for something you are accusing him of doing over 20 years ago. You my friend are a total dullard
    I also note WE have imprisoned him. So ylu are the police or what are you

  12. Any country with a professional police force or prosecution would be investigating this end of this corrupt deal. If its being prosecuted at one end its likely the corruption stretches to the country of origin. The police in Zambia are waiting for Dorah to be expelled from PF then an order from the president to investigate. Is this the way to work ba Lapdog Kanganja?

  13. Kwena walipena. Who told you that we want to sleep with Dora? What makes you to even imagine that she is sweeter than our sweet compound and natural girls? Abakashana abamisana nge botolo. Abakashana abakuti wamumfwila mumungololo.

  14. So Dr. Chaponda was involved alone in this alleged maize corruption? What about the Zambian side? Anyway we are yet to hear what role the Zambian side played in this alleged scandal when the court process commences

  15. So the accomplices are clean across the border, awe kwena we Zambians are so docile, we even clap, dance and sing when thieves come to mock us. how I wish I was not a Zambian.

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