KIA suspends 2 officers for alleged fraud
Two Lilongwe Handling Company (Lihaco) civil aviation officers have been suspended for allegedly attempting to swindle President Peter Arthur Mutharika’s chattered plane operators out of airport ground fee.
Soon after Mutharika’s arrival from the 71st United Nations Annual General Assembly (UNGA) last Sunday, the two officers, who were allegedly operating a parallel handling company, were seen on the apron interacting with operators of the chartered aircraft, making their demands as they were not aware of the purpose of the plane’s presence at the airport.
In an interview, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, James Chakwera, confirmed the suspension, saying the matter is under investigation to establish for how long the alleged offence had been committed.
“Yes, it is true that two officers have been interdicted at Kamuzu International Airport following their conduct with regard to two flights that operated at KIA on September 16 2016. That was deemed unprocedural in as far as aircraft handling at the airport is concerned. Unfortunately, one of the planes involved was a chartered aircraft for the President,” he said.
Chakwera said he could not say how much had been lost as a result of such practices, but said the act was a breach of procedure.
“The ministry’s main concern in this case was with regard to breach of procedure for aircraft handling that would result in safety and security threats. Save for the money that is yet to be paid to Lilongwe Handling Company pertaining to the said aircraft, the ministry is not aware of any other monetary transactions that were involved. However, investigations are still going on.
“The matter is still being investigated further and should any other wrongdoing be established, appropriate measures will be applied. So far, an Aeronautical Information Circular [AIC] has been issued informing all operators that there is only one handling company at KIA and Chileka, and that is Lilongwe Handling Company,” he said. n
