Shame! President Lazarus Chakwera has been caught up in yet another financial mismanagement scandal, this time the amount is scary, a whopping K17.5 billion!
While the dust is refusing to settle in the infamous K6.2 billion disbursed in August 2020, just two months after taking over government, it has emerged that the K17.5 billion released about two weeks ago was ‘finished’ within one week of its disbursement. Shocking!
The sad tale is that the money which was meant to buy equipment and support Covid-19 victims including our hero frontline health workers, did not for its intended purpose. It was squandered through unbelievable allowances to people not even connected to the Covid fight, politicians mostly MCP stalwarts, we can reveal.
Insiders close to the investigation disclosed shocking revelations about how some senior cabinet ministers connected to the clusters that received the money ordered how the money was going to be distributed to their party supporters and close family members disguised as ‘suppliers’.
Civil servants also took advantage of the situation and also helped themselves to the loot, it was free for all.
“By the end of five days, the K17.5 billion was gone. This is unprecedented,” said our source.
“If a forensic audit is done, Malawians will be shocked with the plunder that these people have done. But I doubt the leadership will go for this route, they would rather constitute a commission of inquiry which is easier to manage than the forensic audit. Its sad and I was shocked when I noticed this,” he said.
While the MCP stalwarts and friends were busy plundering the resources, many Malawians were dying from the disease including their own Vice President Sidik Mia, cabinet minister Lingson Belekanyama and many of our close relatives too.
A political Analyst said the problem with the current leadership especially the MCP stalwarts is that they are excited after being out of government for 26 years.
“These MCP guys are excited. They have been out if the system for 26 years hence the reckless plunder, it is very sad for our country,” he said.
The most painful thing is that the plunder was directed at a totally wrong organization whose main purpose of its formation was to serve and save humanity from the pandemic. Unfortunately, or should it be fortunately, the ministry is directly under the OPC whose direction is lost due to lack of leadership and complete dereliction of one’s responsibilities. People who were not supposed to be dead are dead. Many of them were breadwinners in their households. Because of the seriousness of the repercussions to those left behind, the culprits need to be punished unreservedly starting with the principle office holder. These are murderers and as such need to be treated accordingly. Press releases till when?