Malawi Police arrest 2 Mera bosses

Police in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, at the weekend arrested two senior managers at Mera barely weeks after the institution was reported to have transacted a K16 million (about $53 333) deal without following procurement processes.

Police confirmed on Monday that Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) technical director Welton Saiwa and financial and administration director Elias Hausi were arrested and granted bail immediately.

In an interview, Hausi confirmed his arrest, but demanded a questionnaire.

“I was picked for some issues. Send me a questionnaire,” said Hausi.

Saiwa also demanded a questionnaire, saying he could only comment in writing.

National police public relations officer Rhoda Manjolo in the morning expressed knowledge of some arrests at Mera, but asked for more time to give details.

She was later unable to give specific details of the arrests as she said responsible police personnel were in the North for President Joyce Banda’s function.

Police Inspector General Loti Dzodzi referred the matter to Manjolo on the arrests while Mera CEO Alex Chiwaya did not answer his phone.

Last month, The Nation revealed that Mera had paid over K16 million in a flawed procurement transaction that saw the authority ignore its internal and public procurement processes.

The Nation revealed that Mera paid for a six-paragraph write-up and advertisement which were part of a 12-page supplement on Malawi by London-based advertising agency, Upper Reach Limited.

The supplement, which was published in the London Times in August 2010, was meant to promote the late president Bingu wa Mutharika and his policies.

The transaction followed a contract signed on behalf of Mera by the then acting chief executive officer, Saiwa, on June 17 2010 for a one-third magazine space page advertising. Saiwa was part of the authorities who approved the transaction.