IG yet to act on treasury orders

Inspector General (IG) of Police Lexten Kachama says he can only act on the directive from Secretary to Treasury (ST) Ronald Mangani to arrest all civil servants implicated in fraud during a recent payroll audit after receiving the letter.

In his letter dated November 24 2015, the ST wrote to 10 ministries, including the top cop, to “consider” applying law enforcement responsibilities in general to address any fraudulent activities revealed in the report.

But when contacted yesterday to give an update on the progress, Kachama expressed ignorance of the letter and the preliminary findings of the audit report from Central Internal Audit Office and National Audit Office (NAO).

“I don’t know [about] this letter and I don’t know anything. I don’t have anything on what you are talking about. I am not aware of any letter from the Secretary to the Treasury. Consult the people who have given you the letter [because] the ST hasn’t given me anything. I am ignorant about that.”

But Chief Secretary to the Government George Mkondiwa said he will act on the results of the payroll audit findings and make sure that all those involved are brought to book.

He said: “I am appalled by the depth of looting by civil servants and if the final report fully concludes who did what then definitely, I have to take the necessary measures and make sure that those involved are brought to book.

“We were worried that is why the payroll audit was instituted in the first place and the matter will be referred to relevant authorities once the whole report is finalised.”

The 10 addressees were controlling officers in the following ministry departments and agencies (MDAs): Local Government and Rural Development; Health; Education, Science and Technology; Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; Human Resource Management and Development; Tourism and the Registrar of the High Court.

In an earlier letter this year, Mangani advised controlling officers in the affected ministries to take action against civil servants found to have swindled government money as per the audit findings.

The rot exposed by the audit included some officers receiving more than one salary; others getting paid leave grants in excess of their entitlements and in some cases, excess amounts paid monthly.

Further, according to the letter, the audit found that S2 salary electronic file to the bank was manipulated, such that some officers’ payroll records were different from the amounts credited in their bank accounts.

Earlier this year, President Peter Mutharika commissioned a head count payroll audit after shocking revelations of mismanagement of funds in the public service.

The President’s action followed the arrest of some civil servants in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development for allegedly embezzling millions of kwacha through the creation of ghost workers and paying themselves tripled salaries.

In February this year, Weekend Nation—which first reported the payroll scandal—established that as much as K7 billion could have been siphoned through manipulation of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). n