Chakwera and his errand boy Richard Chimwendo aren’t sacred cows in Chilima’s corruption case
The embattled Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General Martha Chizuma was in Machinga on Friday, November 25, 2022 some of us expected her presence on such a high profile case of Vice President Saulos Chilima, fine. Thyolo Centre lawmaker Ben Phiri also paid MK20 million on allegations of millions and he must report to ACB every three months, very lazy one?
By Bashir Al Bashir
The embattled Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma was in Machinga on Friday, November 25, 2022 some of us expected her presence on such a high profile case of Vice President Saulos Chilima, fine.
Chilima thereafter got out on a court bail of just MK1 million on corruption allegations of billions.
Thyolo Centre lawmaker Ben Phiri also paid MK20 million on allegations of millions and he must report to ACB every three months, very lazy one? You don’t see it?
Well, the contracts in question were awarded last year.
Normally, it is the Internal Procurement Committee (IPC), PPDA, ACB and responsible minister who vets tenders and awards. I am here to learn how or where the Office of the Vice President gets involved in those matters.
The allegedly two contracts were awarded when Reverend Lazarus Chakwera was the last man in the army and Richard Chimwendo Banda was last man in the police section.
If Saulos Chilima helped Sattar to get the contract it means he worked with either Chakwera or Chimwendo as responsible ministers INFLUENCING them to award the contracts to Sattar.
Assuming Chilima did not share the money with Chakwera and Chimwendo but just influenced them to sign the contract, what does it tell about their calibres?
Let us skip them, on another level, it means Chilima influenced the whole procurement committee to favour Sattar, the committee which were reporting to Chakwera and Chimwendo obliged to Chilima’s instructions, a man without say in the process besides the fact that both committees were new and appointed by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to include their own people.
So MCP people were easily twisted by Chilima. Interesting.
It must have not ended there, Chilima must gone a step further to influence Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and PPDA, these two organs have roles in policing the procurement process, I assume their failure to do their due diligence and halt the process was because Chilima influenced them too.
In short he influenced everyone from the president downwards.
Sattar left the people involved in the procurement to bribe someone whose office has no say in the process.
Very interesting case as it is Chakwera and his errands aren’t clean either.
Let Chakwera come out of these corruption scandals his Tonse leadership is involved otherwise Malawians have lost trust in him.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
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