2023 Corruption case: Malawi
September 2023
What happened
NCA received a complaint regarding possible irregularities in a procurement process under an NCA grant at one of our partners in Malawi.
What we did:
NCA instructed the partner to stop all planned procurements under this specific grant and notified the donor in question, NORAD, immediately after receiving the complaint through our complaint handling system.
A thorough investigation of the matter was conducted by the senior management team at our Country Office in Malawi. All concerned parties were interviewed.
The procurement was stopped in time prior to signing any contractual obligation. Despite gross procedural errors not least because of documentation and communication gaps, an intentional fraudulent behaviour could not be proven above any reasonable doubt. Hence, our investigation closed with a warning letter issued to the local partner.
What we learned:
The incident served as a reminder for us to keep on following procurement processes closely and continuously build capacity and raise awareness among our partners. It is also noted that our complaints handling mechanisms seems to be known, and used, among partners and stakeholders in Malawi.