Mulumbe contradicts Director of Public Procurement on Zambia Maize deal

Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) CEO, Foster Mulumbe on Wednesday contradicted Director of Public Procurement (DPP) Paul Taulo in the ongoing inquiry to the suspicious maize deal between Malawi and Zambia.

When Taulo appeared before the joint Parliamentary Committee of Agriculture and Public Accounts, he said that Mulumbe had made a phone call from Zambia where Admarc was to procure the 100,000 metric tonnes of maize telling Taulo to issue a letter of no objection in relation to the procurement of maize.

“On 17 June, 2016, I received a call from the Admarc CEO in which he told me that Malawi wanted to procure maize from Zambia. He called from Zambia and I was on my way to my home village in Neno.

“Looking at the urgency of the matter where Admarc had to have the maize immediately, we had to issue the no objection letter,” said Taulo.

But Mulumbe denied twice having called Taulo, to request his office that it should issue the letter.

“I was trying to recollect the time that I called the ODPP [Office of the Director of Procurement] when I was in Zambia. I really don’t remember having made that call,” said Mulumbe.

Mulumbe’s response angered the committee with Kamlepo Kalua accusing of failing to convince the committee.

Kamlepo went further by accusing Mlumbe of him of trying to shield someone who might have been pressurizing the Admarc boss to hurry processes which demanded some caution.

Meanwhile the inquiry continues and today the committee is meeting with officials from Ministry of Finance.