Minister of Information, Tourism and Civic Education Jappie Mhango who is also Government Spokesperson was commenting on an article that appeared in the Malawi News of 12 March 2016 titled, "Trouble at Press" labelling it as total fabrication.

In a press statement Mhango says the article believed to have been orchestrated by senior management at PCL purports that Government influenced current board appointments as part of a ploy to snatch and control PCL as its financing instrument as an ill-conceived absurdity.

Mhango further says Government, by law, and in practice, has never had anything to do with appointments of members to either of the two boards and this is evidenced by the fact that Press Corporation Limited has always had more Malawi Congress Party (MCP) as board members more than any other party.

The Government spokesperson, however, adds that it is in fact, the conduct and performance of some senior managers themselves that have brought a mess at PCL and not the presence of any DPP functionaries on the PCL Board.

He cites the appointment of the current Group Chief Executive 14 years ago which never went through board interviews or other proper legal channel as a big anomaly.

Mhango says in May 2014, this same Group Chief Executive Officer signed an internal Memo alleging that the board had approved a monthly car allowance of MK6,312,572 for himself.

In the same Memo, he indicated motor vehicle allowances for other officers as follows: Exco- MK4,708,446, General Managers MK3,351,109, Senior Managers MK2,610,743, other Managers MK1,993,772 and this has, however, been condemned and reversed by the trustees.