Low level Finance Ministry delegation fails to impress Malawi MPs at maizegate inquiry      

A low level delegation from the Ministry of Finance has failed to impress at the ongoing maizegate inquiry conducted by parliament.

Ministry’s director of debt and aid Madalo Nyambose appeared before the Public Accounts Committee and the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development which are holding public inquiries into the ‘maizegate’, a term referring to alleged fraudulent transactions that Admarc was involved in when purchasing maize from Zambia,.

The inquiry accused Nyambose of not providing important information crucial to the inquiry.

Nyambose told the inquiry the ministry’s role in the maize procurement from Zambia was minimal, restricted to provision of funds to the purchase of the grain.

“The government has different ministries with different mandates. We would be doing other people’s job if we were fully involvement in the procurement processes,” she said.

However, the parliamentarians argued that as guarantor to the providers of money, the PTA Bank, the ministry was supposed to take an active role in the procurement processes.

They told her that Admarc might not be able to repay the PTA Bank loan because people are not buying the K12500 per bag maize from Admarc markets opting cheaper maize from vendors.

Nyambose said she was not even aware that Admarc cancelled a written contract with Kaloswe and entered another one before written conclusions with the previous one.

Secretary to the ministry Ronald Mangani was said to be away attending a funeral.

Chairman of the inquiry  Jospeh Chidanti Malunga said Mangani will be called to answer some questions which Nyambose failed to answer satisfactorily.

 The parliamentary inquiry  on maizegate is being covered live on Times Radio.