The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has directed the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 to recover, within seven days, all the allowances that were paid to Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa.
Nankhumwa was incorporated in the Taskforce by virtue of being of Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
PAC made the directive when members of the Taskforce appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Thursday in Lilongwe.
Co-chairperson of the Taskforce, Dr Chalamira Nkhoma, told PAC that it only Nankhumwa and Inkosi ya Makosi Mbelwa were getting the fuel and accommodation allowances on assumption that the Leader of Opposition was coming from Mulanje to Lilongwe to attend Covid19 meetings and that Inkosi Mberwa was coming from Mzimba.
But PAC said Nankhumwa is not supposed to be receiving fuel and accommodation because he stays in Lilongwe and Parliament is already taking good care of him.
The Committee, therefore, ordered the Taskforce to recover all the money disbursed to Nankhumwa within seven days.
It could not be established as to how much Nankhumwa has pocketed thus far, but a breakdown of allowances that made rounds on social media showed that Nankhumwa was pocketing K60,000 twice as daily subsistence allowances and fuel allowance.
Published reports also indicated he received K1.2 million in allowances and K2. 5 million for fuel refunds between 2nd October 2020 and 26th January 2021 and Nankhumwa defended the receipt of the money.
He said he was entitled to it as he was travelling from his constituency in Mulanje, and he had not been given his benefits as Opposition Leader.
He is the Parliamentarian for Mulanje Central Constituency.
PAC has been meeting with officials from various government entities, mainly those that were named in the K6.2 billion Covid-19 funds report.
The report from the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed massive plunder of the funds mainly by government officials.
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