The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it is expediting its investigations on the dubious K30 billion transaction involving fertilizer under the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).

According to the Bureau’s Director General Martha Chizuma, a special investigation team has been instituted to specifically probe the matter.

She said: “As a Bureau the moment this things started coming out, mainly through the social media we discussed and put up a special team to look into the matter.”

Chizuma, who made the assurance when appearing before a joint Parliamentary Committee investigating various issues of misprocurement and mismanagement of public resources in Lilongwe, said ACB is optimistic that the it would wind up its investigations by the end of January, 2023.

“Considering how crucial these API issues are, we thought that we shouldn’t take them through the normal investigations procedures but to put special teams.

“That’s why I was able probably to say that maybe come the end of January we should be able through with this investigation,” assured Chizuma.

Responding to the Bureau’s investigations progress, the joint committee’s co-chairperson Gladys Ganda said the graft-bursting body needs to be given time to thoroughly inquire more about the contract.

“It is clear that something fishy happened and we will get that. I cannot give deadlines to ACB because they know their job well, they are in a better to know when they can conclude their investigation,” said Ganda.