Ready-for-March-20-2019-demosLILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The just revealed MK53 billion claim at the Immigration Department by Karim Batawarara through his firms African Commercial Agency and Reliance Trading Company dubbed as “uniformgate” has prompted Malawi’s civil society organization to go for demonstration on March 20 this year.
Addressing the new conference on Friday, under the banner Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) the demos aimed voicing out against escalating levels of ‘Executive thieving and impunity’ which must be denounced at all cost.
According documents the Maravi Post has also seen, the two suppliers signed a MK9 billion contract with the Immigration Department to supply uniforms but failed to honour the deal and are now demanding MK53 billion, which is more than five times the agreed amount.
This has moved the coalition to ask responsible government agencies to investigate Batawarara and the award of the contracts under question for possible corruption and fraud.
The two–Africa Commercial Agency and Reliance Trading Company-signed a MK9 billion contract in March 2012 for uniforms they never supplied for five years only to raise the contract sum to MK53 billion in 2017 – a sum which has the Immigration Department is protesting.
“This is further evidence that this government is corrupt. We have unresolved issue of MK145 million involving the State President, his party and Zameer Karim and now we have this issue of MK53 billion claim.
“We ask the government to cancel this dubious contract now or else we will seek legal intervention to have it cancelled. This is taxpayers’ money which must be protected,” said HRDC deputy chairperson Gift Trapence, reading a statement.
Below is part of the statement issued and made available to The Maravi Post;
As we warm-up to the March 2019 National demonstrations, weather Human Rights Defenders Coalition(HRDC) here by once again register and express our disgust at the prevailing corruption,impunity,political violence,hate speech,killing of people with albinism,biasness at the Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation, attempts by government to muzzle the civic space and intimidate critics including human rights defenders, lawlessness as perpetrated by regime thugs. We at HRDC take this opportunity to set there cord straight, here and now, that we will not tire nor be intimidated to speak truth to power. We denounce the Democratic Progressive Party orchestrated executive thieving, corruption, and impunity.
We reregister our concern that the DPP led government continues to shamelessly burry its head and remain clueless as to how to address the numerous governance, legal, social, economic and development challenges that Malawians are wallowing in.
About a week ago,we yet again wrote His Excellency Arthur Peter Mutharika,a final letter demanding that head dresses issues in our two petitions. While we gave him 20 days to respond,which we doubt if at all he is going to do,thanks to his arrogance,we for the sake of records take this opportunity to remind him of his obligation to address the issues as raised in the petition. We also seize this opportunity once again to highlight our concerns;
“Unprecedented level of corruption.
PresidentPeterMuntharikahasshamelesslycontinuedtopresideoveragovernment that is stinkingly rotten with corruption. It is undeniable that the country is besieged by high level organized corruption which continues to rob millions of our people a decent future.
The DPP led government claims that it is fighting corruption but it clear for everyone to see that it is mere cosmetic. We know that Government either arrests small fishinthepond,effectarrestandcrippletheAnti-CorruptionBureaufrom dischargingitsdutiesordragthecorruptioncasesincourtsforever.Thesegimmicks are disgustingandcheap. Wehavenumerouscasesborderingoncorruptionthatarefrustratinglybeingdragged throughthecourts.Therearemanyprominentcasesborderingoncorruptionthatthe DPPledgovernmentisdeliberatelysuffocatingbecausethespoilsofthesecorrupt dealsaresharedwithintherankandfilesoftheDPP. 1.Mk145MillionPioneerInvestmentScandal-Weareyettobeconvincedwiththe explanationsastohowMK145millionfrom ZameerKarim’sPioneerInvestmentin thePoliceFoodRationScamendedupinaDPPBankaccountwhosesolesignatory isthestatepresidentProf.PeterMutharika.Whilewecalluponanexpeditedcourt processonthiscase,wealsocontendthattheDPPshouldbebroughtinasan accompliceinthiscase.Thereareallindicationsthatthisisyetanotherstate sponsoredcorruptionsyndicate.TheDPPwentaheadtousethefundstopurchase ahousebelongingtotheCityinBlantyrefortheparty.Isthisnotusingproceedsof crime? b.CommercialAgencyandRelianceTradingCompanyattempttodefraudthe MalawiGovernment. Weareappalled to learn thattwo companiesthatsigned uniform supply contractswiththeImmigrationDepartmentin2012—AfricaCommercialAgency andRelianceTradingCompany—wanttobepaidalmostK54billionwhentheir contracts’totalpricewasjustoverK9Billion.Weareshockedthatgovernment isbeingtoldtopaythisfraudulentamountwhenthesuppliersneverdelivered anythingtotheDepartmentofImmigrationforfiveyearsfrom thedaythe Departmentaskedthefirmstodoso. AsHRDCweareshockedastowhythesupplierwassilentalltheseyearsonlyto startmakingsuchunnecessaryandunfoundeddemandsafter6years.Weare forcedtosuspectthatthesupplieristakingadvantageofaGovernmentthat toleratedcorruptionandhasshownnopoliticalwillinendingthesame.No wondersomeMalawiansaresuspectingthatthiscanbesyndicatetodefraudthe governmentwithfullblessingsfromsomeseniorGovernmentofficials. TheAnti-CorruptionBureau(ACB)andFiscalPoliceinvestigateMr.AbdulKarim Batawarara,whorunsAfricaCommercialAgencyandRelianceTradingCompany forpossiblecorruptionandfraudand.Wherethereisreasontobelievethat crimesoccurred;securityagenciesshouldarrestandprosecutesuspects. ShouldtheMalawiGovernmentnotactontheabove,
HRDC will assume that the administration is in consort with the suppliers that want to reap from poor Malawians where they didnot sow. Should that be the case, HRDC shall include this as one of the demands in the upcoming demonstrations in March 2019.
The demonstrations shall be against continued plunder of public resources specifically against Mr. Karim Batawarara, his two companies and the Peter Mutharika-led Government.
But government spokesperson Henry Mussa, who is also Minister of Information, said if HRDC has evidence of any wrongdoing in the immigration case should report Batawarara to relevant authorities than resorting to demonstrations.
The grouping has set the demonstrations for March 20 – just four weeks before the much anticipated May 21 tripartite elections.