Escom confirms K1.6bn theft of electricity generator fuel: ‘Malawi VP statement a matter of fact’
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom)has confirmed United Transformation Movement president and State vice-president Saulos Chilima allegations that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has stolen K1.6 billion worth of fuel from the power generators.
The power utility publicist Innocent Chitosi said the three million litres worth of fuel was siphoned off at its offfices in Lilongwe and Blantyre.
“The fuel was stolen between January and June this year. There is a syndicate that was stealing the fuel,” said Chitosi.
He, however, claimed that some guards and transporters were conniving with some officials to siphon off the fuel.
The vice-president Chilima told a fired up UTM mass rally in Blantyre on Sunday that there is rot at Escom where DPP officials were in free for all theft of Escom property including the fuel, an allegation that the DPP has vehemently denied.
This comes barely days after the graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) stopped an immediate business deal to the powerful and elite DPP officials to provide alarms in Escom worth K220 million.
DPP officials are also entangled in a K9.3 billion deal at Escom.
Chilima said once the UTM and himself gets into power, he will immediately stop corruption at Escom.
Recently, an audit report of the fiscal year 2016/17 – prepared by former Aiditor General Stevenson Kamphasa – exposed that Escom ordered goods valued at K8.3 billion from about 23 suppliers without following internal procurement procedures and without the knowledge of key management .
“Out of the K8.3 billion ordered items, the Corporation only needed K3.2 billion of the items ; rendering the remaining K5.1 billion useless,” says the report on part.
The power utility continued to acquire the old three-phase meters despite embarking on a project to migrate customers from post-paid to prepaid billing through introduction of meters mounted on electricity poles to phase out the old three-phase system, according to the findings of the audit.
“A total of 24 550 meters valued at K1.8 billion were received in March and April 2019, But only 330 items valued at K23 million were issued from stores in the last 12 months to June 2017,” reads the report.
Escom board chairperson Thom Mpinganjira told a news conference recently that “there were serious misprocurement process” at the Corporation.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has stopped Escom from awarding a contract worth K219,757,578.66 meant to install car-tracking systems on Escom vehicles from the Southern Region.
ACB has confirmed that it received an anonymous complaint that Escom did not follow the right procedures in awarding the contract.
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The K1.6 billion will not appear in the 2019 financial statements as fraudulent transaction or wasteful expenditure because this was a well orchestrated fraud intense to fleece Malawians out of their taxes kitty. This is national tragedy and Malawians are taking this like normal. Malawians have now been beaten so much that violence and fraud is now normalised and no longer kick them into action other than expressing their anger via social and traditional media. This is an indictment on all of us for allowing our own politicians entrusted with our crown jewels to loot like mad. we have allowed… Read more »
Only through citizen activism would all this looting nonsense stop and those invested in political would lose their money. They would have learnt a lesson never ever to do it again. Citizens need to be smarter than what we have ben all along. Malawians seem to be inert and when things go wrong they cry foul. Its our fault and nobody else. Uneducated and not-so-smart people are bale to deep their hands into govt coffers knowing that they’ll get away with it. How more foolish can Malawians be?
3 Million Liters is two much and it is doubtful if the supplier physically supplied the product. Most likely, the product was not supplied but documents were delivered. Just thinking outside the box.
I cry for my Nation, Lord help us!!! 1.6 billion worth of fuel and why has no one been arrested and if it wasn’t for Chilima saying something during his rallies could we have known this. wake up Malawi!!!!!!!! wake up Malawi!!!!!! lets fight for our nation by voting right may 2019.
No wonder ESCOM is very inefficient in delivery of its services. How can the only company that supplies electricity power to the whole nation be registering losses in its financial statements? Corruption is the lifeblood of this institution and this dark blood must be drained off.
Dont be fooled . All these other parties will do the same. How do you expect they will recover all the money that they are spending in campaigns if not stealing from government. Mia is spending millions of his personal money because he knows that once he is in power the vicious circle of stealing and contract awarding will go on. Dont be fooled that any politician will change anything.
TRUE
Only through citizen activism would all this looting nonsense stop and those invested in political would lose their money. They would have learnt a lesson never ever to do it again. Citizens need to be smarter than what we have ben all along. Malawians seem to be inert and when things go wrong they cry foul. Its our fault and nobody else. Uneducated and not-so-smart people are bale to deep their hands into govt coffers knowing that they’ll get away with it. How more foolish can Malawians be?
For those who follow international news, RSA President Ramaphosa has just highlighted economic interventions to strengthen the economy. That’s evidence that although he was vice president he was unable to implement his policies until he took over from Corrupt Zuma
Ramaphosa only wants votes, do u know what happens when white owned land is taken without compasation? Check me!
All this happening under the chairmanship of Thom Mpinganjira who happens to be from Mulhakho. Zoti akuluwa ndi ophunzira komanso amumpesa !!!!!!!!
Another misreported and supposed corruption scandal. Where has Chilima been all this time?
Iwe ndiwe opusa kwambiri mbuzi yamunthu. Ndinu anthu aja muvotelebe DPP despite all the foolish mistakes. Think before you write nonsense, mbuzi.
Are u serious? Did u just write that it is misreported? Koma anthu kupusa bwanji. Don’t you know about the black market of prepaid meters at Escom that one has to pay 40 grand to get a meter. Where do u think the meters are coming from? Koma some people dont follow nkhani
A haven for DPP thieves. On a separate note, did I hear the EGENCO Board Chairperson is Lloyd Muhara? If so, how can a civil servant chair a parastatal? Otherwise who is Thom Mpinganjira’s counterpart?
Abale, kuba kosachita nako manyazi?