ADMARC Chief Executive Officer Foster Mulumbe on force leave over Zambia maize deal

Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) Chief Executive Officer Foster Mulumbe has been sent on force leave to pave way for investigations in the procurement of maize from Zambia which is believed to have been procured at an exorbitant price.

The development comes barely days after the newly appointed board of ADMARC summoned Mulumbe for a meeting on the matter.

ADMARC board chairperson James Masumbu confirmed of the development in an interview with the press, saying the decision was arrived at during a board meeting held on Friday last week.

According to Masumbu, Deputy Chief Executive of ADMARC, Mrs Magret Mauwa will now be acting as ADMARC CEO.

President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika appointed a Commission of inquiry into the Zambia maize scam which is being headed by former Chief Justice Anastazia Msosa, Solicitor General Janet Banda, auditor Isaac Kayira and Mike Chinoko.

The Commission is scheduled to come up with the report on the maize scam by the end of this month.

Meanwhile Civil Society Organisations are pushing for the suspension of Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Dr. George Chaponda who has on several times denied being part of the scam, saying his involvement was minimal.