Malawians quiz Chishimba over Maizegate

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 12:06:42 +0000

MALAWIAN investigators yesterday quizzed United Progressive People (UPP) leader Saviour Chishimba who generated a hoax that 100,000 tonnes of white maize was exported to Malawi in a corrupt scheme.

The interrogation, which took place at the Malawian High Commission to Zambia in Lusaka’s Longacres, started around 14:30 hours and only ended slightly after 17:00 hrs.

Speaking after meeting the investigators, Dr. Chishimba insisted that there was corruption in the transaction and maintained that there was evidence that the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) had actually started receiving money from Malawi’s Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) soon after a Letter of Credit (LC) was issued by the PTA bank in Nairobi.

He said the ban on the exportation of maize by the Zambian government was done in bad faith as its aim was to facilitate for the termination of Kaloswe Commuter and Courier Services Company contract so that ZCF would take over under the disguise that the transaction was government-to-government yet ZCF was only preoccupied with looting.  He insisted that Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya and his Justice counterpart Given Lubinda owed Zambians an explanation over the contract because they had information on what transpired because they were linked to the transaction.

“We have brought the evidence to show that the new entrants (ZCF) or parties to the agreement had no intentions of supplying the whole amount. They wanted to loot and plunder the US$34.5 million without fully supplying the 100,000 tonnes of maize because that letter of credit that was offered is as good as cash itself for the moment you make a demand within seven days you must get the money.

“So there is evidence that ZCF began to cash in on the US$ 34.5 million and so what we want is that the ministers involved must explain what happened. Ms. Siliya must clear her name together with Mr. Lubinda,” Dr. Chishimba said.

Meanwhile, both ZCF and Malawi’s suspended Minister of Agriculture George Chaponda have maintained that Dr. Chishimba’s assertions that ADMARC had paid money for the export of maize which is on-going was false and based on a letter of credit.

  A letter of credit is a commitment from the bank guaranteeing that the buyer’s payment to the seller will be received on time and for the correct amount once the transaction is concluded.

In the event that the buyer is unable to make payment on the purchase, the bank will be required to cover the full or remaining amount of the purchase.