This article was originally published on Malawi24 ">Malawi24, Malawi's #1 independent news platform. NOCMA’s top boss is facing tough questions as investigators dig into a disputed K700 million payment that has raised serious concerns at the state-owned oil company. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has questioned the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Matapa as investigations focus on how the payment was made after the […] Read the full article and more Malaw
NOCMA’s top boss is facing tough questions as investigators dig into a disputed K700 million payment that has raised serious concerns at the state-owned oil company.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has questioned the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Matapa as investigations focus on how the payment was made after the company allegedly received fraudulent correspondence.
Matapa appeared before the anti-graft agency on Thursday after being summoned to provide information about the circumstances surrounding the transaction.
ACB spokesperson Jacqueline Ngongonda confirmed that the bureau had initiated an investigation following information contained in a statement issued by Nocma.
She said the ACB had independently generated a complaint and subsequently authorised an investigation into suspected abuse of office involving officials connected to the payment.
The bureau did not immediately disclose what emerged from Matapa’s questioning.
The investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of the fuel-importing company after police arrested two senior Nocma officials in connection with the same matter.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Miklas Reuben and Senior Operations Manager Thokozani Jacob Sesani were arrested on Wednesday. Police indicated that the two could face charges including negligence by a public officer in safeguarding public funds and misuse of public office, alongside other possible offences.
Matapa has previously rejected suggestions that he should step aside over the controversy, pointing out that he assumed his position on May 1, 2026, after the transaction at the centre of the investigation had already occurred.
Nocma has maintained that the circumstances surrounding the payment did not necessarily translate into a loss of public funds. Company spokesperson Raymond Likambale said the recipient bank had confirmed that the money had been received.
The payment was reportedly connected to services provided by Mozhandling in relation to the processing of the MT Flora, a vessel that transported approximately 15.1 million litres of fuel procured under Malawi’s Government-to-Government fuel-importation arrangement through the Port of Nacala in Mozambique.
Nocma assumed a central role in fuel imports after the government decided in November 2024 to move away from the Open Tender System towards Government-to-Government procurement.
The ACB investigation now places renewed attention on the internal controls surrounding payments at the state-owned fuel company and whether officials followed established procedures before the disputed funds were transferred.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no determination of criminal responsibility has been made against the officials involved.
