Miti writes Rupiah over K10bn scam

Miti writes Rupiah over K10bn scam
Written by Jane Mwakasungula
Monday, June 08, 2009 2:36:47 PM

FORMER Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Simon Miti has written to President Rupiah Banda explaining himself about the on-going investigations over the K10 billion scam.

In his letter dated May 24, 2009 to President Banda through presidential principal private secretary Austin Sichinga, Dr Miti gave his reflections and observations on the financial scam in the Ministry of Health.

“Dear Dr Sichinga, please find attached a report on the ten billion kwacha scam in the Ministry of Health. My observations and reflections. You may wish to share this information with His Excellency the President,” stated Dr Miti, who was recently sent on forced leave as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training pending investigations in the Ministry of Health.

According to his report entitled “Report on the K10 billion scam in MoH: My Observations and Reflections”, Dr Miti pleaded with President Banda to treat him fairly and with compassion.

“Your Excellency Sir, first and foremost, I would like to apologise for taking time off your busy schedule to write to you as the President and as the father of our nation,” Dr Miti stated.

“You have come to know my family, particularly my mother whom you met before she passed on. I was also privileged to meet your mother before she passed on. I write this report with a broken heart having lost my dear mother and after a month my young brother whilst my wife is in a wheelchair. It has been a distressing year indeed.”

Dr Miti stated that after the death of his mother and some his siblings, he had a huge responsibility to look after orphans.

“I am very stressed at the moment following the death of my mother and brother through a road traffic accident and my wife who is incapacitated and currently in a wheelchair. Mr President, following the demise of my mother and my brother, my responsibility over the orphans has become bigger. You may wish to note that seven out of 12 of my brothers and sisters have all died and left orphans,” Dr Miti stated.

“I am the sole breadwinner and custodian of all these orphans. My surviving brothers and sisters are unfortunately the youngest in the family thereby increasing the burden on me as the sole breadwinner. My plea is that let me be treated fairly and with compassion.”

He informed President Banda that he was on compassionate leave because he was distressed with what had happened in such a short period of time after moving to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training.

Dr Miti denied knowing former Ministry of Health human resources manager Henry Kapoko. He stated that the ministry was heavily audited in the seven years he served there.

“I would like to assure you Mr President from the bottom of my heart and in remembering my mother that I am not in any way connected to the scam that has happened in the Ministry of Health and I am not and have never been in any way connected to Mr Kapoko either formally or informally,” Dr Miti stated.

“Generally, he has been a junior member of staff who never reported directly to my office. I am as disappointed and frustrated as you are and look forward to appropriate disciplinary action to be meted out to all those that have been involved in this financial scam which has eroded donor confidence with some of them withholding future funding to the Ministry of Health which is extremely unfortunate.”

Dr Miti stated that some people had been questioning his wealth without realising that he acquired his wealth before he was appointed permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and that the other portion of his wealth was from his late brother Dr Emmanuel Miti's estate.

Dr Miti explained that the seven years he served as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and as presidential physician to the late Levy Mwanawasa was a source of pain and criticisms in whatever he did.

“People have only concentrated on negative criticisms but they don't look at the many positive things that have taken place in the Ministry of Health during the period,” Dr Miti stated.

“I have been traumatised and sometimes embarrassed over things I had not done and people always jumped quickly to wrong conclusions. These kinds of criticisms and insults similar to the ones you are currently experiencing as father of the nation. The beginning of our late president's term of office was just as rough and I see a similar trend towards you Mr President.”

Dr Miti stated that he had an opportunity to peruse through an audit on the K10 billion scam masterminded by Kapoko who happened to a junior officer in the ministry.

“However, going by my quick perusal of the documents on this matter, they have revealed the following: (1) Mr Kapoko never declared conflict of interest that he was the owner of Best Home Lodge and so it took some time for me to find out. I immediately took action by stopping the use of Best Home Lodge for use as a venue for workshops. I gave these instructions in the full senior management meeting where all directors, deputy directors and donor representatives were present. I was however surprised to note that when the [Anti Corruption Commission] ACC recently went to Best Home Lodge after I had left the MoH, it was still being used for workshops contrary to management resolution that it should not be used,” Dr Miti stated.

“(2) I have also observed and generally made a conclusion that all the payments that were going to other institutions and were linked to Mr Kapoko and a one Mrs Mataka (who also did not declare conflict of interest for use of colleges such as the Royal College, ESU School of Nursing and Algonquin Management Consultants) were not approved by me as controlling officer as per normal procedure. My serious observation was that I only saw those letters at the first instance when these institutions were writing to the Ministry of Health through my office.

“My only involvement in this was that I wrote 'FYA' which is an abbreviation for 'For Your Attention' which is generally used in the civil service whenever one is referring to a new document to a subordinate officer in this case my directors and does not in any way mean approval of payment.”

Dr Miti also noted that the fundamental principle of trust was seriously flouted and frustrated by his then junior staff at the Ministry of Health.

“Mr President, heads of institutions such as permanent secretaries run institutions based on trust that the directors and accounting staff are giving them the best advice and that they are following procedure to the latter (sic). In this case, going by the documents I have perused through, this fundamental principle of trust was seriously flouted and frustrated,” Dr Miti stated.

“Mr President, Your Excellency Sir, there are some prophets of doom who would like to implicate me in this financial scam. You as the father of the nation may have already received adverse reports on me. Surely, if it was my intention to be part of this financial scam (God forbid), I would have been the first one to make sure that such payments and tender procedures were approved and followed to the latter (sic)”

Dr Miti stated that in this case, he was completely sidelined.

“I have also noticed that some payments had been made much earlier even before the documents came to my office for my attention. In other words, payments were corruptly made before I even had a glance at the letters from these corrupt institutions. This is extremely irregular,” Dr Miti stated.

“I have only been able to discover these because now the supporting documents and payment vouchers have been attached and when I look at the dates, payments were made before I marked these documents for the attention of the directors to review and advise me accordingly.”

Dr Miti stated that his juniors abused public funds when he was busy sustaining the health of the late president Mwanawasa.

“I have also noted that these payments and saga or scam took place when I was seriously engaged in sustaining the health of our late president and it was during the time our late president was indisposed in Egypt and finally in France at Percy Military Hospital where he finally passed on. Mr President you would recall that at that time I was frequenting and meeting with you at Government House when you were our Vice-President,” Dr Miti stated.

“It would appear that these senior greedy officials took advantage of my busy schedule to bleed the Ministry of Health. Words cannot describe how embarrassed and annoyed I am and I am sure the same applies to you going by the public criticisms you have been subjected to in the recent past.”

Dr Miti pledged his support to President Banda's fight against corruption.

“Finally, I pray to the Almighty God to continue blessing you in your work as President and father of our nation and indeed the First Lady,” stated Dr Miti. “I also pledge my total support and loyalty to your administration and zero tolerance to corruption for now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, well-placed sources disclosed that Kapoko is being sacrificed because of his perceived links with the opposition Patriotic Front.

“There is an attempt to shield other people involved in the scam,” the source said. “Kapoko is just being sacrificed. Now they are treating him badly in prison, he is sleeping next to the toilet.”