President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has warned corrupt Agricultural Development and Marketing officers to desist from conniving with vendors to sell them maize meant for poor Malawians, saying if found the law will take it cost.
Mutharika issued the warning on Wednesday during the State of the National Address aiming at updating the nation the hunger situation in the country.
In his speech, Mutharika admitted that Malawians are starving to the expense of greedy ADMARC officials who are selling the Maize to vendors at night who turn sell to Malawians at an exorbitant price which is MK15, 000 per 50kg bag.
“This is outrageous and most criminal. It is moral recklessness which I am not going to tolerate, or allow to continue. I must warn everyone strongly that such atrocities by criminal ADMARC maize vendors have got to stop immediately.
“I have instructed the Police to investigate thoroughly, and take vigorous action. If they catch you, you will go to jail. So you better stop right away. The Police will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that these culprits do not return on the scene to steal more maize. ADMARC, meanwhile, will continue to replenish the maize stocks. In addition, we have additional money to buy more maize if needed,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika urged Malawians to corporate with law enforces to apprehend the said culprits.
“If you are as morally outraged as I am, don’t just sit and wait for what the government and police shall do for you. I want you to know that you can and must do something. The police are carrying out their duties to track and arrest these thieves. On your part, you know where these thieves are and where they hide or sell the stolen maize. You know the ADMARC officials with whom they are conniving. I want you to report them all to the police immediately. The police will handle the information confidentially so that these culprits will never know who turned them in,” reads in part Mutharika statement.
Meanwhile media reports indicate that all ADMARC deports in the Southern region don’t have Maize stock.
