Mera bosses’ fate yet to be decided

Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) board chairperson Bishop Joseph Bvumbwe is yet to act on demands from Secretary to Treasury Ronald Mangani that the board’s top bosses must be prosecuted.

In March this year, our sister paper Weekend Nation revealed that Mera diverted K3 billion (about $4.4million) from the price stabilisation fund to purchase maize. But in his response, Mangani said it was not the duty of Mera to purchase maize.

In an interview yesterday, Bvumbwe who succeeded Dingiswayo Jere about a month ago, said he needs to convene a meeting with members to discuss the way forward.

“As you are aware, I am new in the post. There is a lot of work that I need to do but also to learn. At the moment, I want to convene a meeting with my fellow board members to discuss these issues,” said Bvumbwe.

He said once the board meet, they will hear the Mera officials side of story before taking action.

“It is only after this that a decision can be made,” Bvumbwe said.

In his letter addressed to the Mera board, Mangani asked the top officials to return the money within three months.

He further said the Public Finance Management Act provides that resources of statutory bodies maybe applied only for purposes specified in its empowering Act.

The Energy Regulation Act and the Public Finance Management Act do not empower Mera to purchase maize, hence its resources cannot be used for that purpose.

Reads the letter in part: “The executive management of Mera erred in referring to the Mera board a matter that was outside the board’s competence and mandate to handle. It is the responsibility of management to guide the board on procedures.” n