By Wezzie Gausi:
The government is still working on modalities that will facilitate the transfer of the East Bridge deal from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM), it has been learned.
According to Ministry of Agriculture officials who engaged Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture members on the issue last week, they are also still handling obligations under the East Bridge deal.
Some few months ago, ministry officials announced that they would be transferring the deal to SFFRFM, whose activities are commercial in nature.
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Secretary for Agriculture Dickxie Kampani said in an interview that SFFRFM is yet to be communicated to for it to carry over the deal.
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He said, currently, the ministry is holding discussions on the matter before officially handing over the deal.
“As most of you are aware, the ministry received many reservations from different stakeholders, including the committee, on our engagement with East Bridge.
“The Attorney General [Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda] had to come in and give us his advice [to the effect] that we needed to discuss issues to do with East Bridge with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB). So, the ministry had a number of issues to look into from the ACB before handling over the deal to SFFRFM,” Kampani said.
SFFRFM Chief Executive Officer Richard Chikunkhuzeni told committee members that he did not receive any communication on the matter.
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“I am not aware that the deal was meant to come to SFFRFM from the ministry. I believe, once everything is done, the government will surely communicate but, as at now, I know nothing,” Chikunkhuzeni said.
Committee chairperson Sameer Suleman said there was nothing good about East Bridge deal.
He said whatever the ministry is doing is meant to protect a few people who are involved in the deal.
“We have always said that SFFRFM was better placed to handle issues of fertiliser deals and procurement as it has always been the case. But it is sad that, up to now, nothing tangible is happening regarding AIP. We, as a committee, will continue to press on until Malawians know what is really happening on the deal,” Suleman said.
In June this year, details emerged that the government had signed a $124.5 million (K125 billion) agreement with the Romanian company before its consultations with the ACB were finalised.
It transpired that, in April this year, the Ministry of Agriculture wrote the ACB, asking it to conduct due diligence on the company but, before consultations between the ministry and the ACB were finalised, the government proceeded to sign the contract.
