Paralympics Committee in dilemma
Sports Council has put Malawi Paralympics Committee (MPC) in dilemma following fresh demand for a financial report on how the committee used K2.3 million (about $5 750) International Paralympics Committee (IPC) grant meant for the aborted trip of local athletes to 2012 London Games.
The Nation
has learnt that if the MPC fails to submit the report to the council by next Monday, the committee risks disbandment.
However, MPC president Juma Mkandawire on Wednesday said it would be difficult for them to submit the document for the second time after doing so some months ago because they attached all the original receipts and bank statements concerning the grant on the initial report.
The council made the demand on Monday when they summoned the MPC executive to a meeting to discuss reasons on the local sports body’s continued withholding of the committee’s annual subvention and funds for Presidential Championships, which were postponed last weekend.
“We do not really know what the council wants from us now. We reminded them that we already presented a financial report to them few months ago, but they still insist we should make a fresh presentation.
“We will not be able to do that next Monday because all the necessary documents concerning the grant were attached on the initial report the council requested from us sometime back,” Mkandawire said.
Nevertheless, the council’s executive secretary George Jana said on Wednesday that he could not reveal what transpired at their recent meeting.
“We are not going public on the outcome of the meeting. What I can only say is that we have told them (the MPC) what to do,” Jana said.
The council started withholding MPC’s allocations some months ago as a way of refunding the IPC’s grant. But according to Mkandawire, the IPC still writes them reminders that no penny has so far been reimbursed.
The MPC is also currently serving an IPC suspension for the same. The ban includes exclusion from IPC-sanctioned events and the acquiring of funds from the international body until the grant is repaid.
