By Isaac Salima
Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) and government officials are not coming out clearly on how much money has been deposited into Account Number One after being recovered from the botched Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) deal.
SFFRFM spokesperson Grace Thipa Tuesday said the money, which had been idle in its bank account, was finally deposited into Account Number One.
“As per advice from the Ministry of Finance, we returned all the funds to the government Account Number One,” Thipa said.
When asked how much was exactly returned, Thipa only wrote: “All the funds were recovered and returned to the government.”
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In 2022, the government paid K750 million to Barkaat Foods Limited to supply 25,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser but the firm failed, claiming that it had lost the supply line with Yara UK, one of the world’s fertiliser manufacturing companies.
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda then applied to a Germany-based court, asking it to facilitate the repatriation of money that was frozen in Fidor Bank Ag.
Chakaka Nyirenda then provided written confirmation from German prosecution authorities, to the effect that the money had been transferred back to Malawi.
SFFRFM accountant Watison Chirambo then indicated that the money had reflected in their official bank account, indicating that the transfer had, indeed, taken place.
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Since then, according to officials, the money had been in SFFRFM bank account.
When contacted Tuesday, Treasury spokesperson Williams Banda said he would call us back.
Minister of Finance Simplex Chithyola Banda advised us to speak with either Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni or Accountant General Henry Mphasa on the matter.
Tchereni referred us to Mphasa, whose phone was busy.
He was yet to respond to our WhatsApp message by press time.
However, Human Rights Defenders Coalition Chairperson Gift Trapence has asked Capital Hill to come clean on the issue.
