Comptroller of Statutory Corporations Peter Simbani says politicians are to blame for the downfall of the once vibrant Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc).

Simbani said this in Lilongwe during an interface with the Joint Parliamentary Committee investigating various issues of procurement and mismanagement of public resources.

He said: “And I will say it without favour or fear, Admarc used to be a very vibrant institution in the 1980s and first part of 1990s, Admarc used to own companies as subsidiary companies, that is how strong Admarc was.”

During the meeting, it transpired that the Corporation paid K39 million for 12 personal cars belonging to one employee and K808, 915 insurance for individuals who are not working for Admarc.

Simbani said the State produce marketer has suffered gross financial mismanagement largely due to political interference.

“But come in the 90s, things changed, there was a lot of political interference in the appointment of who should be running Admarc, people without proper skills have been appointed to top positions,” he lamented.

Commenting on the vehicle insurance, Chief Executive Officer for NICO General Insurance Donbell Mandala said the Company refund money that was paid for non runner vehicles.

“What we are looking at is just to tighten out KYC [Know Your Customer] process, and it’s not only government property, we will also look at other key clients and any client that comes to the business,” said Mandala.

Admarc was closed in August this year by the then minister of agriculture Lobin Lowe in a move what he called to re-define the functions of the Company with the view of serving Malawians better in line with its mandates.