Cleaning Comesa institutions
NYASA TIMES
"In view of the management style pursued by the Secretary General, his inability to mould and motivate a dedicated management team, his fragrant and frequent breaches of the provisions of the Treaty, the Staff and Financial Rules and Regulations, his misuse of funds and office and in view of the spite demonstrated to the decisions of the Council, the breach of the conditions of his compulsory leave, the Committee recommends that the services of the Secretary General be terminated forthwith as he lacks vision to take COMESA in the next century," reads the statement that got Bingu Wa Mutharika out of COMESA.
Bingu wa Mutharika is the current President of the Republic of Malawi, an impoverished country in Sub-Sahara region. The President who would never have been had it not that former Presidents Bakili Muluzi and Sam Nujoma, not saved his face from jail as called for by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni when he defrauded tens of thousands of dollars from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Nyasa Times has analysed the report prepared and submitted by the Special Committee of Eminent Persons on the Operations of COMESA and can report that Bingu is a top class corrupt man who knows how to manipulate and defeat systems of control so he can have a free reign.
Bingu wa Mutharika is reported to have advanced himself US$30,000 and US$20,000 on two occasions in contravention of the Staff and Financial rules and Regulation. The then Secretary General (SG) advanced the US$30,000 to his wife Ethel's bank accounts in Harare Zimbabwe costing the COMESA banks transfer charges of up to Zambia Kwacha 51,000.
It seems its Bingu's management style to abuse resources of his workplace which are only entrusted to him as a steward for personal benefits. First Lady Ethel Mutharika was recently involved in another dubious transaction when a state house truck was caught and impounded for loading subsidised fertilizer meant for the poor local Malawian farmers for her personal benefit on their far in Salima. This is a clear sign that the Mutharika's do not learn from their past mistakes.
They have tried to prove they are hard on corruption but from what can be read from the COMESA report, it is not surprising that the President is behaving in the same manner. He is hiring and firing at will, without a concern that he is destroying other people's careers. A good example of what happens when someone is fired unexpectedly is the President himself. After getting the boot from COMESA, Wa Mutharika had nothing apart from operating a business with two second hand minibuses.
The COMESA Committee also established that Mr Mutharika frequently breached the provisions of the Treaty, the Staff and Financial Rules and Regulations. He was also accused of misusing funds and abuse of office. The report paints a picture of gross insubordination to the COMESA Council of Ministers, whom he considered below his own position.
"There is ample evidence of financial malpractices. The Secretary General has used COMESA funds to finance missions which cannot be confirmed to be official and beneficial to COMESA. The Secretary General has also used COMESA resources for personal activities," reads the report.
"The relationship between the Secretary General and COMESA institutions is strained because of the Secretary General's demeanour and management style. His desire to have a domineering role in the management of these institutions is one of the causes of the strain. The Secretary General has, as a result, failed to conclude cooperation agreements with these institutions as required by the treaty. He has used funds of some institutions contrary to laid down rules and regulations of the institution(s)," the report states, adding: "The Secretary General has failed to develop an effective and beneficial working relationship with Member States by arrogating himself status equivalent to Heads of State and Government thereby treating Ministers and officials responsible for COMESA Affairs as inferior to him."
A fraudster normally destroys the tools or footprints which can get him tracked. Bingu did exactly this by scrapping the internal audit department whose duty was to look after the implementation and monitoring effective internal controls to avoid abuse of resources.
Lack of internal control, inability to fill permanent vacancies with staff, re-designing the staff positions and scrapping others gave Bingu a lee-way to mismanage the COMESA resources.
"There was ample evidence of financial malpractices. The Secretary General has used COMESA funds to finance missions which cannot be confirmed to be official and beneficial to COMESA," reads the report.
"The Secretary General also used COMESA resources for personal activities."
Bingu in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer had severely restricted the external auditor's scope of work as per audit contract contrary to the provisions of the Treaty.
He was deemed to be a man unfit and Malawians hired the same vehicle which has failed a Certificate of Fitness (COF) to run and operate at the highest level as Head of State.
Lack of team building and people management skills are apparent. He belongs to an old school that has no room to work with the modern generation in a dynamic workplace.
Note: The Report is available for the public to read as we cannot publish everything here. To receive the report simply email: editor.nyasatimes@gmail.com with COMESA REPORT in the subject line.
"In view of the management style pursued by the Secretary General, his inability to mould and motivate a dedicated management team, his fragrant and frequent breaches of the provisions of the Treaty, the Staff and Financial Rules and Regulations, his misuse of funds and office and in view of the spite demonstrated to the decisions of the Council, the breach of the conditions of his compulsory leave, the Committee recommends that the services of the Secretary General be terminated forthwith as he lacks vision to take COMESA in the next century," reads the statement that got Bingu Wa Mutharika out of COMESA.
Bingu wa Mutharika is the current President of the Republic of Malawi, an impoverished country in Sub-Sahara region. The President who would never have been had it not that former Presidents Bakili Muluzi and Sam Nujoma, not saved his face from jail as called for by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni when he defrauded tens of thousands of dollars from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Nyasa Times has analysed the report prepared and submitted by the Special Committee of Eminent Persons on the Operations of COMESA and can report that Bingu is a top class corrupt man who knows how to manipulate and defeat systems of control so he can have a free reign.
Bingu wa Mutharika is reported to have advanced himself US$30,000 and US$20,000 on two occasions in contravention of the Staff and Financial rules and Regulation. The then Secretary General (SG) advanced the US$30,000 to his wife Ethel's bank accounts in Harare Zimbabwe costing the COMESA banks transfer charges of up to Zambia Kwacha 51,000.
It seems its Bingu's management style to abuse resources of his workplace which are only entrusted to him as a steward for personal benefits. First Lady Ethel Mutharika was recently involved in another dubious transaction when a state house truck was caught and impounded for loading subsidised fertilizer meant for the poor local Malawian farmers for her personal benefit on their far in Salima. This is a clear sign that the Mutharika's do not learn from their past mistakes.
They have tried to prove they are hard on corruption but from what can be read from the COMESA report, it is not surprising that the President is behaving in the same manner. He is hiring and firing at will, without a concern that he is destroying other people's careers. A good example of what happens when someone is fired unexpectedly is the President himself. After getting the boot from COMESA, Wa Mutharika had nothing apart from operating a business with two second hand minibuses.
The COMESA Committee also established that Mr Mutharika frequently breached the provisions of the Treaty, the Staff and Financial Rules and Regulations. He was also accused of misusing funds and abuse of office. The report paints a picture of gross insubordination to the COMESA Council of Ministers, whom he considered below his own position.
"There is ample evidence of financial malpractices. The Secretary General has used COMESA funds to finance missions which cannot be confirmed to be official and beneficial to COMESA. The Secretary General has also used COMESA resources for personal activities," reads the report.
"The relationship between the Secretary General and COMESA institutions is strained because of the Secretary General's demeanour and management style. His desire to have a domineering role in the management of these institutions is one of the causes of the strain. The Secretary General has, as a result, failed to conclude cooperation agreements with these institutions as required by the treaty. He has used funds of some institutions contrary to laid down rules and regulations of the institution(s)," the report states, adding: "The Secretary General has failed to develop an effective and beneficial working relationship with Member States by arrogating himself status equivalent to Heads of State and Government thereby treating Ministers and officials responsible for COMESA Affairs as inferior to him."
A fraudster normally destroys the tools or footprints which can get him tracked. Bingu did exactly this by scrapping the internal audit department whose duty was to look after the implementation and monitoring effective internal controls to avoid abuse of resources.
Lack of internal control, inability to fill permanent vacancies with staff, re-designing the staff positions and scrapping others gave Bingu a lee-way to mismanage the COMESA resources.
"There was ample evidence of financial malpractices. The Secretary General has used COMESA funds to finance missions which cannot be confirmed to be official and beneficial to COMESA," reads the report.
"The Secretary General also used COMESA resources for personal activities."
Bingu in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer had severely restricted the external auditor's scope of work as per audit contract contrary to the provisions of the Treaty.
He was deemed to be a man unfit and Malawians hired the same vehicle which has failed a Certificate of Fitness (COF) to run and operate at the highest level as Head of State.
Lack of team building and people management skills are apparent. He belongs to an old school that has no room to work with the modern generation in a dynamic workplace.
Note: The Report is available for the public to read as we cannot publish everything here. To receive the report simply email: editor.nyasatimes@gmail.com with COMESA REPORT in the subject line.
