Malawi Parliament hands over K6.2bn Covid-19 money abuse report to public

Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara symbolically handed over the K6.2 billion report on abuse of Covid-19 money to the public.

However, the public will wait a little longer when parliament meets, debate, adopts and gazettes it, it is when they can hear formally details of the report.

As of now, it has been handed to the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of parliament.

Gotani Hara said in an address to journalists, the decision to share information on the audit report has been done due to overwhelming public interest.

Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Shadreck Namalomba concurred with the Speaker on huge public interest in the report.

He said the House will follow the right processes adding that the committee had already started investigating the matter based on the report by the Ombudsman and the report will assist the committee in that endeavour.

Meanwhile, the Speaker has clarified that Parliament will not release the report because august House procedures still dictate that the report has to be tabled in Parliament.

She said the report cannot be made public before it has been gazzeted.

The Speaker said as per procedure, the minister of finance was supposed to present the report in the House but since parliament is not meeting that process has failed.

Hara added that since parliament is a House of laws and can’t break the same laws, the finance minister presented the report to the Speaker because of its urgency and the Speaker has referred the report to PAC.

Hara said the minister will still present the report in the immediate coming meeting of parliament.

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