DPP guru Richard Makondi embroiled in Escom’s MK4 billion fraud

BLANTYRE (MaraviPost)—The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s National Organizing Secretary, Richard Makondi has been named as one of the party’s gurus who exerted pressure on the Electricity and Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom)’s former Director of Finance Betty Mahuka for her to authorize MK4 billion payment towards fraudulent procurement.According to Malawi News, Mahuka prior to her resignation, received calls from Escom’s board and Makondi ordering her to pay.

But Mahuka refused the order and instead tendered her resignation which prompted Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to authorize the investigation on September 28, this year.

Ironically, last month, Escom blocked the bureau’s officer from conducting an investigation into the procurement in question.

Without shame to the blockage, Escom defended its act arguing that ACB’s officer assigned for the task had no mandate and incompetency to carry on the investigations.

Inside electricity supplier’s sources disclosed that when Mahuka received the requisition to process the payment for the procurements, she noticed that there was not authorized on Escom’s Procurement Plan.

The source added that the former utility body’s finance director after realizing that its Internal Procurement Committee did not meet to discuss or review the procurement in question coupled with irregularities that Acting Procurement Director unilaterally sanctioned such transactions, Mahuka refused to effect the payment.

“The next thing, Mrs. Mahuka received a phone call from Board Chairperson of Escom, Mrs. Jean Mathanga and several calls from ruling DPP’s National Organizing Secretary, Richard Makondi ordering her to pay. But she refused and instead tendered her resignation.

“Unfortunately, Escom has a legacy of corrupt business tendencies and that senior managers at the institution are working in a difficult environment due to political pressure. Escom’s management and board need a clean-up and that the public shouldn’t trust anything coming from them”, said the source as quoted in the local press.

Both Mathanga and Makondi have denied of any wrong doing in the fraud while urging the corruption bursting body to probe more on the matter than smearing their images with mad for nothing.

But Mahuka is quoted as saying her resignation at the Escom on personal grounds while denying that the quitting was due to government officials’ pressure.

The development comes on the heels of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) warning Malawi government to risk losing financial support toward the energy sector due to rampant corruption in the country.