By Lifu Litete – Malawi Exclusive
It never rains but pours for Mulli Brothers Holdings Limited as few days after the company was implicated in a financial scandal involving the Reserve Bank of Malawi over the supply of organic fertiliser, Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has hinted on his intention to move the country’s courts to claim money that one of its subsidiaries, National Bus Company, was collecting from the country’s bus terminals.
Following the liquidation of state-owned Shire Bus Lines, National Bus Company assumed responsibility of manning the country’s bus terminals across all cities and vehicle workshops which were being managed by the defunct Shire Bus Lines Limited.
However, it has come to the notice of the Attorney General that since National Bus Company assumed management of the bus terminals in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu the company has not been remitting the money collected from bus terminal users since 2008.
This has now prompted the Attorney General to file for an application in the country’s courts to reclaim the money from the privately owned company.
‘It is true that very soon I will be filing an application of claim in the court as it has come to my notice that since 2008 National Bus Company a privately-owned company which was managing government property has not been remitting money collected from the bus depots. I feel this is an act of defrauding the government of Malawi and National bus must pay back the money.
Nyirenda said the money collected was supposed to be given to city and district councils in which the bus terminals are located but that has not been happening.
‘What is more disheartening is the bus terminals are in a dilapidated state. The company was collecting the money but was not taking care of the structures’, said Chakaka Nyirenda.
Nyirenda was, however, non-committal as to the exact amount that government intends to reclaim from National Bus Company.