Friday, April 19, 2024

Law enforcement officers seize K2.1b from former labour minister

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Former Labour Minister Austin Liato

A combined team of law enforcement officers on Thursday unearthed and seized two point one billion Kwacha from former Labour Minister Austin Liato’s farm in Lusaka West.

Officers from the Police, Anti-Corruption Commission and the Drug Enforcement Commission undertook a two hour joint operations to uncover and seize money buried in two trunks at Mr Liato’s farm number 44 in Mwembeshi area.

The law enforcement officers are expected to question Mr LIATO over the money suspected to have been corruptly obtained and held in contravention of the Banking and financial services Act.

A ZNBC news crew that checked on the former Task Force on Corruption Officers in Woodlands in Lusaka around 03:00 hours on Friday found the joint team of Security officers counting through the stacks of cash bundles in fifty thousand Kwacha notes.

Inspector General of Police Martin Malama who was at the Former Task Force on Corruption offices, vowed that no stone will be left unturned in pursuit of plundered public resources.

Dr Malama says all culprits will be brought to book regardless of their political or social status.

And Police Spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela says Mr Liato will appear before the law enforcement officers to account for the money.

Ms Kanjela says Mr Liato will be accorded a chance to explain how he acquired and held on the cash suspected to have been looted from public coffers.

[ZNBC]

132 COMMENTS

  1.  I smell a rat here. Mr former minister, why hide such an amount of money when its perfectly yours? Don’t you know that they are banks?

  2. Just when you think PF is persecuting former MMD MPs. This one is a stinker, how did the Police know there was money in the ground? k2.1 billion!!! no wonders we have too many poor pipo and very few rich

  3. This amount of money is nothing! I can make more at home!
    2,100,000,000.00 ZMK = 309,641.17 EUR
    2,100,000,000.00 ZMK = 415,602.92 USD

    • imwe ba njikata what are you trying to say,how much do you have?think before you say something.liato is a civilized person,why hiding an amount like that?rubbish thats why they cry when they lose elections.palilowa

    • Stop lying you cannot make that money anywhere no matter how much you clean toilets in Finland you can never make that money. Stop exposing your foolishness!

    • Not in Finland, even if you don’t buy their expensive booze, just continue valeting cars or prostituting yourself!!

  4. Awe elo twalamona nomba ifyalachitika by the way where are our friends who always side with this pipo? Remember a friend in need is a friend indeed, so pliz don’t shun this man coz he still needs your loyalty, pliz say something if this is a witch hunt

  5. Any offenders should be treated according to the law without political emotions attached. Let the law take its course if there is cause. We however need professionalism in handling these matters and detach the politics from judicial matters. I’m not in support of persecution but where an offence has been established, let the law take its course. I would also prefer politicians did not make unwarranted attacks based on hear-say. Its bringing shame on Zambia when the head of states causes disputes in the press.

  6. Okay, I see this man going in for money laundering. The reason is simple, even people with more money than that do not keep it at home. The thing is that all transfers to his bank account will be investigated and am sure something will come up.

  7. RB raised concern of MMD NEC members having let him down. The NEC members were involved in cash bribery transactions for parliamentary election adoptions. Austin Liato was one of them going round as NEC member collecting money from parliamentary candidates.
    As facts stand now there is indefensible fact that failure to deposit that cash in banks is either it was fraudrently gotten or its money laundering choking the money circulation in the country which is economic suboutage punishable in court of law. State to fofeit that cash and channel it to national development.

  8. I think let me confirm I never saw anything like this happening from MMD officials, I think SATA means well for Zambia. How on earth can you keep your money like this as though they are no banks in this country

  9. Frida Njikata you are fool how many people can benefit from that money? But these guys were corrupt honestly how would someone hid that huge amount instead of banking? I wonder what was going to happen if RB won the elections. Lesa tasentekwa bane he always exposes that crooks. This is a warning to the politicians that they should behave when they are in power.

  10. It explains why Liato has a big tummy like that of Daddy pig grooooooooooooooooooooooo. at one time i sat near to him at southern sun hotel in Livingstone when he and his collegues were waiting for RB. He had a conversation for over one hour giving instructions to his builder who was constructing his house. Iam sure the one hour air time was from public funds. Banayamba nikudala kudya ndalama za boma. The two trunks of money is just a tip of an iceberg. Bring them to book. These MMD chaps have no mercy. How can you plunder at the expense of poor people who cant even afford a meal. mulekwata ko uluse. Round the them up, cage them and bring them before the courts of law.

  11. Mr. former minister, we are waiting for a very good explanation as to why you had to hide all that money underground. You should even give us the list of your colleagues that you were working with because i am convinced that you are not alone.

  12. @4 Jack Mwanampapa. Zambians in the diaspora urge for good governance where wrong doers are punished and the law to be impartial regardless of who commits an offence. It is in fact Zambians at home who aid and abet some criminals. EG when questionable persons are appointed like Dr. Miti, Mwamba, Chungu etc are defended its unfair to Zambians. Scanners at boarders was scandal and by now Criticles Mwansa should have been in jail, sons of RB by now should have been in jail and other high profile cases informed to Zambians by president Sata will all end up as bargaining chips for Sata to be acceptable to people and regions where those offenders come from. That is what Zambians in the diaspora are uncomfortable with and with PF govt and their supporters.

  13. From the way he does not visit the Barber, I can tell that he is a thief! Witchhunts? Am sorry MMD, the results of the Zamtel inquiry are really disturbing and even people who were sympathetic with them are quite outraged.

  14. Very foolish of a labour minister to not have a plan of hiding stolen money. Sibatambako ma James Bond movies? Too much of Mwine Mushi “we shall find the LOOT CAUSE…….!”

  15. Sorry for those who are saying its which -hunt, if its yeuiding results i dont mind after all those in the UPND were together with PF saying MMD under RB were so corrupt and vowed to bring to book all those who will be found wanting in an event that MMD went out of power. Fortunately, thats what happened so PF are just living up to their promise though ist a shame to the UPND who have shifted goal posts to suit their new found friends( going back to their vomit). Simple question is, is this which-hunt? Shaaaaaaaaame on you Liato.

  16. Get that cash and pay un paid retirees. Some have died before getting their money. If you were spending a million kwacha per day, it would take you 5 years to spend Liato’s ‘caught up with’ portion. He still has more.

  17. How did they know where to search?? Naizanda pa Zed, if you stole please give it back now! Maybe Sata can forgive you lol

  18. Blogger number 6,you are a fool.Dont thinj that if you can take butter its everybody who can afford.you cant work it out that way in euro and dollars rates.You are actually lying to us by saying you make that kind of money at home.is it per year or every day?k2.1b its alot of money to us zambians.liato must be caged thats why he is too fat.in 2000,liato came at my former high school kaoma secondary he wasnt as fat as he is now.Thess guys have stolen lot of money from us cage them

  19. This is hard to take…..I get taxed 35% every month so that some1 lazy can bury all that cash till it suits him to use it…..Agony is having billions u can’t spend…!!!! Cage him so that he can be sweeping our dirty roads for all taxpayers to use clean roads….fitting punishment in my view..

  20. all these sakalanyongos need to be removed from the face of Zambia. Get the jails ready and RB and his team are warming up to come and die in jail.

  21. …..I told you long before and I say again that there is more of that with others – first check out campaign team and you will see

  22. Then one Nyama Soya is busy complaining that the PF led govt is persecuting his former ministers when he must know that his former ministers are stinking with riches that they did not acquire in proper channels but because they were entrusted with national resources which they turned into their personal property. This issues speaks volumes, I would not be surprised if these MMD chaps have their own money printing machines hidden in some farm!

  23. Cabinet meetings were all about how to steal! Yet the chidumbo (RB) is saying they are persecuting my ministers. Pathetic tool!

  24. Find out how much he has now in the bank, collect everything and then tie him two big stones and drop him in Zambezi river not near kalene hills it’s shallow there somewhere in livingstone where the river makes a falls. Do not take this fooolish man to court waste of time and money. Politicians always win this type of cases pa zed or never go in prison after ten years of trials.

  25. who said zambia is one in middle income nations watever u call it. zambia is damn rich zamia is bucksed up theres MULA imwe bantu zambia yalikwata icuma,

  26. There is a BRAND NEW TOYOTA VX Landcruiser packed at PEPSI, obtained using Tax Payers money’s and packed there. Can we have that investigated as well

  27. NO wonder mine workers were NEVER going to get a good deal under the MMD thugs…if the Labour Minister can stash away this kind of dole…just imagine the money they have laundered through fake NGOs and their Trusts!!

  28. If KK and his team started like this wonder how many schools and colleges were going to be built! Our job as citizens of Zambia is to vote for who is next to enrich him/self from the public funds as a MP and minister of chakuti. Hey country men people are starving to death and in poverty when Zambia has so much money. What is the way out of this ? We have been sweet tolerant and peaceful for long now! Do not tell me to work hard because hard work does not pay in this type of environment! What manner of corruption this??? We should start killing idioots like this one so the other foools can think twice before abusing our money.

  29. This report is incomplete they forgot to mention that the the money was hidden under two layers of concrete in a fully alarmed unfinished building and also brand new motor vehicles were discovered at the residence!!   

  30. This story sounds too good to be true. Any sensible person will ask a look of questions to believe this story. I am not saying the combined team did not go to the farm and get the money, but the questions one should raise are; why did it take this long for someone to report the crime? Whoever reported this should be held in police custody together with perpetrators of crime. That amount of cash is too huge to leave the banks undetected, someone at the bank must have facilitated this transaction. This amount of cash can only leave the bank with police or armcor escort; where are these disciplined officers who escorted the money to be buried underground. I hope this is not another black mamba, zero option kind of plot? Bloggers digest on this…Thx.

  31. # 6 & 19. How much are you worth? I m pretty sure your combined assets will not be over $600k.
    Bankusa imwe. Were did you see someone with genuine money hiding like that? These are the proceeds of kick backs. If the police do their work properly they will find alot of lying around somewhere. They should also check chi Mutati. He is defending LAP Green because of the cash they received.

  32. ati witch hunt ka, a person who has nothing to hide takes money to the bank!!!!

    so if austin was found with 2.1 billion kwacha what of his boss RB who dora bum bum ngula uyo ati george kunda red lips!!! we need justice to be excuted

  33. Where is that chap MMD bootlicker, The Engineer, Senior Citzen and other sisters,
    YOU COMMENT BELOW and DON’T SHY AWAY!!!

  34. Sad to say that the MMD govt abused peoples trust by taking everything form Zambian people so much that even the banks run out of space to keep their stollen money. Then they resorted to burying. I’m now beginning to wonder why HH wants to work with MMD, and try to help these guys escape justice.

  35. I thought it was witch hunt,but from the look of things the party i voted for did not mean well for its citizen.I wont even go to the court to show my sympathy to this law breaker when he is taken there,shame on my former party.

  36. Every time the idioot went to check on the conditions of the miners in that coal mine,the Chinese gave him cash and he comes back to Lusaka and put the cash in the ground and we have a lot of them in the previous and current Govt. This is why we should now take law in our hands and stop this syndicate. Yes it is a syndicate because these guys  will campaign to got to power and do what they have been doing for years now.I know some of you who benefit from these uncles ,fathers,mothers,cousins etc will not be bothered. God will help only when we put up an initiative plan out of this miserable situation.

    As it is zambians we are not peaceful or patient but  stuiipid and  cowards period! Sorry no other better description of us in my limited vocabulary . Shame !!

  37. Does it mean
    that we shuldnt have a lot of money if we do then we are investigation takes place ha witch hunt at its best.after all they are only 50 pins notes.PHDS zedians.

  38. The bible says my people will become lovers of money, and yes to day we see pastors forming personal to holders churches and amass wealthily and drive hummers at the expense of they followers who are struggling to to have a meal.

    Our Govt officials not only this liato are even scared to bank their money in case some one as how the got it. If were to get back all these pluddered money( without loosing it in custody like the gold) we can build care homes for the street kids whose fathers and mothers have died of HIV. 

  39. Chi LIATO God has answered my prays u failed to develop Kaoma town where u were voted. Let the souls of those who died in Kaoma and their families had nowhere to keep the bodies hurt you. May your family feel how we the pipo of Kaoma feel. Also ask him for cash for the bridges?????????????? VIVA PF.:d

  40. This man had stolen so much that his accountant just said “no sir can not do”, those mine owners were paying him to keep quiet on employee mistreatment, minimum wage, where else could he have got all that.

  41. Its a criminal thing by my sight,why bury such an amount?its an offense to keep a certain amount of of cash by a person though caution should be taken,President Sata said that the place had concrete and all(read it)meaning its a safe and i dont know how zambians handle cash kept in a safe,first time reading it,it sounds insane but K2.1Bn aint an impossible amount for him to raise and most likely someone blew the whistle on him i guess,lets hear from him he may have a valid reason and may have minimum punishment,will wait

  42. Little mama# 58 are you trying to give us a light moment or serious you are boggling your whole true feeling ? I like your I don’t care mentality. God should never give a person like you a chance to handle our public funds because you will never take it to the bank!

  43. @ 58 little mama- You need to learn to speak with a low tone when you are speaking rubbish. Actually hoarding large sums of money is a crime at its best.
    Additionally, clear symptoms of money laudering is hoarding money. Many people have more money than that except it is not burried underground, it is in their various bank accounts. Besides, only a dull or fraudulent person a keep $300,000 idle!

  44. @58, people can have cash nothing like PHDS Zambians?? There is something fishy with this cash, why keep it buried underground when there are BANKS?? Liato has a bank account, surely all this is stolen Money.
    Please search Bwezani’s farm in Chipata as well, I am sure there are trillions of kwachas. Damn these thieves let them be locked up.

  45. If LIATO can have K2.1billion, what about RUPIAH BANDA, please could you to RUPIAH’s Farm and Houses as well he might have K50billion in his possession.
    Please search them and send them to Jail.

  46. Im paiently waitng 4 a comment from MMD chief bootlicker. where is he? drinking with Dora already?……..i cant believe this, how can a sober man like Liato keep such an amount of money at home? my heart is bleed with anger. castrate the baggar!

  47. @58 Little Mama
    PHDS zedians?? Is he your Sugar Daddy?? Do you know what they do to drug dealers or individuals hiding that type of money where you are in Canada or the States; This man would be behind bars by now, no bail or bail set $1million; money laundering is a very serious crime!! 
    The low earners were paying alot of tax on the little the earned yet this thug had enough to stash away for a rainy day!!

  48. IWE MMD CHIEF BOOTLICKER comment below please YOU were crying WITCH HUNT the past couple of days!!!
    WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY, I KNOW YOU READING ALL THIS THERE IN RSA BE A MAN WHO HAS A PAIR AND COMMENT IWE DON’T BE A COWARD!!

  49. Yes, now we must know that ex ministers will not keep money in houses. Please watch how their accounts move money from now. We can actually begin to investigate bank movements, trust me, a lot will come out.
    Ba Liato, shame on you, honestly, you even settle with yourself when you have stolen from Zambians.

    • when companies fail to submit the tax returns, they are penalizd. Let me warn who ever is handling this not give this holy spirit covered nation a CRAP STORY over the outcome ,feel for the poor Zambianians imwe. LIATO’S favour from both the eyes of GOD and of that of MAN has been removed.

  50. Felix Mutati should be investigated at all cost. He has just grabbed someone’s wife; a poor American ditched by a Zambian Serenje woman with whom he had three kids and Mutati has taken her. Ask Sakwiba Sikota who is managing the divorce proceeedings and one wonders why this woman has found money to pay Sikota. This is stinking.

  51. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28) How i wish Austin Liato could have read through this before burrying K2.1 bn

  52. I am happy that such pompous people are being taken to task. He’s a very selfish character and so are his family members for not being a family to him and helping him make correct decisions. May he be arrested and be shown dat he should have worked on better prison conditions other than steal. He would have beena comfortable man in his new home.

  53. Very embarassing. How can one hide money underground when banks are available. This man is a thug and we should not tolerate such nonsense. Good work police!

  54. what has happened need further investigation.this money could have been given to him by mining firm or those seeking work permits.if the money was obtained in a ä

  55. This is just a tip of the iceberg. Liato is said to have been key in swaying the LEVY JUNCTION TENDER through NAPSA to the ZECON/GROUP FIVE CONSORTIUM. He has always mistaken his bullish mentality for intelligence yet he has never been intelligent, wise or clever. He’s just a noise maker and a thief. Ask those that know him from ZESCO and they’ll tell you how he milked the company in the name of the trade union.

  56. Pls give that money to the impoverished poor retirees who have been waiting for their dues for years while the thieves, uncultured people like liato were busy looting the poor man’s money. No wonder Zambians have been abused (shot at, insulted, enslaved etc) by the so called investors.

  57. Lets just change the design of the currency today and see what these greedy MMD thugs will do with their hidden stash!! LOL

  58. How do you hide money in the trunk and bury it. Well it is good Liato lost the Kaoma seat. He is in double tragedy. That is the problem with stolen. I am sure MMD will fail to account of the stolen money becuase those who are clever will not be caught like Liato. Besides, you cannot bury all in one place. Perhaps the whole farm need digging. You never know how much is there. Rupiah is getting denting becuase the final bang stops with him.

  59. This man is a former Minister of Labor this explains to us why the Zambian workers are underpaid and exploited by the employers,Corrupt and greedy employers have been paying for protection to the Minister of Labor to look the other way while they exploit the workers.If this was clean money why hide it?

  60. When this type of corruption as we all know it is criminal it does not only affect the top only also the mid-level and lower staff at the Ministry of Labor should be checked too.What Zambia needs is a real house cleaning.

  61. We are seeing the thieves now. Can Mushota and all the MMD bootlickers tell us whether this is witch hunt. This is not corruption but extreme thieving.

  62. He was scared to put it in the bank because his account might have been hacked and in the house the thieves breaking in so am sure that was the best solution mweee.am just suprised how they came to know that money in the ground.hidden treasure hahaha start digging every minister ‘s gardens.

  63. SHUD BE HIS CUT FM NAPSA DEALS,MEANWOOD,ZNBS AND LEVY PARK SHOPPING MAIL. TOO BAD HE CANT SPEN IT AT OPENED MAIL. LET GOVT GIVE IT TO LOWLY PAID WORKERS THAT THIS FOOL NEVER CARED FOR.

  64. Dora will tell you all yapping here that no one is missing K2.1bn so Liato has not committed a crime. Even if you find a dead body, its not a crime unless someone has reported a missing person! That reasoning is from the smarted minister that ever lived in Zed politics – one Dora Bokosi!!!!

  65. Liato with all that cash gone i guess you will have no sympathisers like Dora had paid some to do it for her, “And some of Siliya’s sympathisers complained that they were being paid about K115, 000, and not the K150, 000 they had initially been promised – The Post”. Wapya munzi, ha ha ha ha!

  66. Where was PF campaign money coming from??????????????????? AND who still has some change remaining like ka $1m under some bedroom in omelo mumba???

  67. #97 Mr Dont Kubeba; You are a very very very very dull chap like Liato, Don’t compare K2.1 Billion to K50pin your Daddy used to hide in the kitchen pot from your mommy on payday; where do you think a minister can get that sort of money. 

  68. At least the so called witch hunting the MMD has been condemning is starting to expose the Witches! We need to widen the net and get these thieves fast.

  69. I am sure there are laws against hoarding money as well. There should be many charges against the ex-minister over and above abuse of office charges:)

  70. #11 Muna Dekhane…. Don’t mention names you have no facts on… You are fed with so much speculation its a joke… Am sure on your own myopic self, you feel so enlightened by being in the UK chasing the elusive Visa!!!! Dr. Simon K. Miti has never been charged or convicted with any offence!!! Dr. Miti is a state witness helping Zambia fight corruption… But you will never hear him speak publicly about it… Its called integrity!!!! Stop your hating and concentrate on being al illegal immigrant!!!! Leave the President alone… He knows who is corrupt!!!! Dr. Miti will go into diplomatic service because he is a consumate professional… He has worked so hard over the past 2yrs testifying against the real crooks… Get your facts straight and stop parading your ignorance!!!!

  71. PLEASE YOUR EXECELLENCY AND PF GOVT, INVESTIGATE THE LEVY JUNCTION TENDER, THERE’S MORE CORRUPTION MONEY TO BE RECOVERED FROM THERE THROUGH INFLATED CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND TENDER AWARD PROCEDURES!!

  72. I WISH HE HAD STOLEN MORE FROM YOU SLEEEEEEEPY ZAMBIANS. IF IT WERE ME I WAS GONNA STEAL EVEN MORE SO THAT ZAMBIANS SUFFER MORE
    AFTER ALL I AM NOT AFFECTED. ITS THE POOR ZAMBIANS MOST OF THEM WHO VOTE WHO ARE AFFECTED…
    TO THE CURRENT MINISTERS:
    PLEASE AS PER ACCEPTED NORM IN ZAMBIA CONTINUE STEALING FROM THE POOR BECAUSE THAT IS WHY THEY VOTED FOR YOU..SO THAT YOU STEAL MORE. SO CONTINUE STEALING….YOU ARE WELCOME

  73. WE WILL DEFEND LIATO HTE WAY U DEFENDED CHILUBA,KAPOKO,CHUNGU,KALUMBA,MWAMBA HA HA HA,THERE WE GO.NON OF THEM IN JAIL,WHY LIATO.

  74. TO YOU SLEEPY ZAMBIANS, ONLY 4 POLITICIANS IN THE HISTORY OF ZAMBIA HAVE NEVER STOLEN:
    1.KK
    2.GODFREY MIYANDA
    3.MWANSA KAPWEPWE
    4.JOHN MWANAKATWE

    THE REST HAVE STOLEN IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER…CAN ANYONE DISPUTE THIS SIMPLE FACT!!

  75. MR LIATO GO KALABO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TO HIT THEM HARD ONCE AND FOR ALL.HONDA IPAYA, NYEE,ALL WITNESSES DIE IN THEIR SLEEP.GO MBUNDA,WELL ALSO START LOOTED LIKE THEY DO.MWATA KUBALINGA KAHA.

  76. We also need the investigating wings to visit Kaoma and find out how Liato withdrew K720m a few days before elections from Finance Bank-Kaoma Branch, suspected to be CDF.

    What a shame for a young politician.

  77. Sakwiba how many mmd member cases are you going to hundle? there comes Liato now. Careful with dora because her lake bangweulu is too full ukanwina its rain season.

  78. Liato why hiding umuzulu ufisanji mambala. Labour minister has such amount what about the big fishes in MMD.That money should have been in circulation than ukushika.I think more money has been hidden so bank of Zambia let us print new notes and phase out the current notes.

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