Police in Liwonde have recovered 579 of the 588 bags of maize, which the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilor for Mlomba Ward, Alexander Cosmas, stole from survivors of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Machinga district.
Ironically, DPP members of Parliament (MPs) and councilors have been crying the loudest that the government is not doing enough to provide for the needs of the survivors in their areas.
Spokesperson for Liwonde Police Station, Ngwashape Msume, told media on Thursday that that 513 of these bags were recovered at Namwera in Mangochi.
But Msume was quick to point out that they have not yet recovered 64 bags while 11 others were found in the truck that carried the relief maize that Cosmas wholly diverted.
She added that the law enforcers have established that Cosmas, who also chairs the District Risk Management Committee, sold the bags of maize in question.
“I cannot indicate identities of the buyers and no further arrests so far have been made as investigations are still underway,” said Msume.
Cosmas pleaded guilty to the theft charges after appearing before court on Monday.
The offence is contrary to Section 278 of the Penal Code.
Police arrested Cosmas on Saturday. He hails from Watala Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mlomba in Machinga district.
Last week, President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera warned that his government will not spare anyone found abusing resources mobilized in the name and meant for survivors of the cyclone.
