Fisd moves to enforce K600m payment
Fisd Limited Company says it has instructed its lawyers to enforce payment of K600 million from government for a gravity-fed water scheme in Phalombe District that has attracted controversy.
The company had initially threatened to dismantle some equipment from the project in Traditional Authority Chiwalo following government’s failure to settle the payment on the basis that some of the works were not sanctioned by a consultant and that there was poor workmanship.
But in a statement on Friday, Fisd Limited Company chief executive officer Raymond Mwenitete said the allegation of poor workmanship lacks good faith and that it is merely an excuse on the part of the government not to fulfil its financial obligations.
Reads the statement in part: “We have thus instructed our lawyers to enforce payment for the Phalombe project. The Attorney General [AG] will be served with the appropriate legal processes in due course.”
Mwenitete said the company’s decision to dismantle some of the project equipment and materials, including a solar panel and pipes, among others, was purely occasioned by financial hardship and government’s reluctance to pay up.
On Thursday, AG Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda told The Daily Times that dismantling the infrastructure would amount to vandalism, which is a criminal offence; hence, warned the company against such an action.
But while stressing that Fisd Limited Company respects the AG, Mwenitete said the latter’s sentiments insinuate that the company is barbaric, which he said was deeply painful.
He also said the AG is being misled by some technocrats within the system who have kept critical information and communication trails under wraps.
The company’s threats to dismantle the project are based on the point that since government says some of the works were not sanctioned by a consultant and can, therefore, not pay for such, the project materials must be removed and be used on another project where clients are willing to pay for them.
About 43 000 beneficiaries are expected to be affected if the project materials are dismantled.
