In December, 2018, former President Peter Mutharika who was then head of Malawi Government executive arm appointed Nicholas Dausi as a Minister of Homeland Security.
By virtue of this appointment, he was automatically head of Malawi Police Services , Department of Immigration, Prison services.
What it meant was that all activities including contracts from these departments were supposed to go through him for his last eye and approval.
There were several contracts which he approved such as supply of cups, shirts, belts. Some of the suppliers to these materials include Africa Commercial Agency and Reliance Trading Company. These are the companies which over charged the Government by demanding more money than the actual price. For example they were charging a belt K100, 000 each which is five times the the actual price.
Owner of these companies Abdul Karim Batawarara is currently in court demanding K53 billion.
The two suppliers that signed uniform supply deals with the Immigration Department during Dausi regime now want taxpayers to pay them K53 billion, which is more than five times the agreed contract amount.
Everyone is wondering whether these were designer Gucci shirts and belts for Immigration.
There has been a great demand to see documentation from the supplier to support their claim and they would like to physically check the samples to ascertain if they match the quoted prices and check the tax invoices the Batawarara companies received from Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) to warrant them to seek a waiver and the bill of landing from the the manufacturer.
Agency and Reliance Trading Company and Government are now fighting in court believing that both contracts of K9Billion, -fell off automatically when five years elapsed without the two companies delivering the goods despite the department placing orders on April 10 2012.
The Anti Corruption Bureau ACB recently arrested Dausi on allegations that he abused his office.
A statement from ACB signed by it’s Principal Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala indicated that Dausi arbitrarily approved an exorbitant and unbudgeted for procurement contract between Malawi Government and One for the supply of Uniforms and Equipment for Malawi Prison Services.
The statement says this was done by the Ministry of Homeland Security headquarters in Lilongwe against public procurement procedures.
ACB followed the matter following reports of the allegations which they recorded on 16th October, 2020.