By Cathy Maulidi:
The Public Appointments Committee of Parliament (Pac) has abruptly stopped its inquiry into the East Bridge fertiliser deal, saying the committee has established that no money was lost through the deal.
Pac Chairperson Mark Botomani told journalists in Lilongwe Tuesday that the committee will not proceed with the inquiry after scrutinising documents from the Attorney General (AG)’s office.
He said the documents indicate that the Malawi Government has not paid East Bridge any money.
“We were supposed to meet the Attorney General and [officials from the] Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA), Ministry of Agriculture, Government Contracting Unit and Office of President and Cabinet. We asked for documents from these stakeholders and they sent us those documents.
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“After scrutinising those documents, we decided not to proceed with the inquiry, having been satisfied with the documents that were submitted. We have been convinced,” Botomani said.
He said committee members’ concerns over the possible loss of funds has been put to rest.
“There was no expenditure. Public money was not used in this deal. The Attorney General is the chief legal adviser to the government and, as such, it will be out of this world to expect the AG to lie. I don’t think the Attorney General is lying. We can only believe what has been submitted to us. The information contained in the documents is enough for us not to proceed with the inquiry,” he said.
However, the development has riled the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), which has described the committee’s move as suspicious.
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investigation
CCJP National Coordinator Boniface Chibwana said the committee’s position on the matter sounds fishy, adding that the reasons given are not convincing.
“Looking at how expectations were raised, and looking at how this issue has been handled, one would believe that a lot has happened behind the scenes.
“We feel the need for an investigation and [the need] for the committee to tell us that they are convinced with the documents submitted to the committee without any further investigation. [But this] raises suspicion,” Chibwana said.
The deal has been marred by controversy, culminating in Finance Minister Sosten Gwengwe announcing that the government had withdrawn the sovereign guarantee for the deal.
Under the deal, Malawi is expected to produce farm produce worth about K500 billion in exchange with fertiliser valued at $250 million.
Last month, Agriculture Minister Sam Kawale announced the suspension of the deal, saying his ministry was in the process of transferring it Smallholder Farmers Fertiliser Revolving Fund of Malawi.
Kawale said until completion of the deal-transferring process, the deal would remain suspended.
