Mps ask govt to probe MHC, Zimbabwe loan scams

Some MPs on Monday pushed for further investigations into several transactions undertaken during the DPP administration, including the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) scam.

The legislators also want Malawi’s $23 million maize loan to Zimbabwe probed.

Contributing to debate on the 2012/13 national budget, Lilongwe Msozi South Vitus Dzoole Mwale (MCP) said as a healing and cleansing budget, he expects its implementation to include investigations into “massive corruption committed by the former DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] high-profile members and their sympathisers.”

He said this process should involve empowering various parliamentary committees to be involved in the probes.

Among the scams, Dzoole Mwale mentioned the fertiliser subsidy coupons; the MHC issue where some Cabinet ministers, senior corporation officials and citizens reportedly bought houses at below market values; the award of temporary employment permits to foreigners; the procurement of treadle pumps and the acquisition of furniture at the new Parliament building.

Said Dzoole Mwale: “I hope this will be a budget that will enhance oversight functions by various parliamentary committees to examine and carry out investigations into the current and previous government’s agendas, including the massive corruption.

“To achieve this moral hypothesis, there should be a political will from the PP [People’s Party]-led government by opening up and allowing Cabinet ministers and other high-profile people in society to appear before parliamentary committees whenever they are summoned.”

Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management Ibrahim Matola, in his contribution, also expressed the need for the previous DPP administration to explain how government lent money from the consolidated account to Zimbabwe without parliamentary approval.

Said Matola: “We have been meeting in this House, but I cannot recall any day the government brought a matter that it would like to lend some money to any country. Does Malawi qualify to be one of the donor countries? Then, we need to enact laws that would govern such issues.”

Matola, who represents Mangochi North Constituency, said government should always be aware that they work on trust from its citizens.

Government recently came out in the open admitting that Zimbabwe owes the country some money which the two governments, after the coming of PP, agreed that the money will be given back through fuel consignments valued at about $23 million.