Friday, March 29, 2024

TIZ cautions two Deputy Ministers against issuing threats to the Auditor General

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Labour Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela (centre) addresses a Zambia School of Management Studies meeting on the minimum wage in Lusaka
Labour Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela (centre) addresses a Zambia
School of Management Studies meeting on the minimum wage in Lusaka

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has cautioned two deputy Ministers cited in the revelations of the Auditor General’s Report namely Hon. Rodgers Mwewa and Hon. Ronald Chitotela made by the Auditor General to avoid issuing threats against the Auditor General (AG) over irregularities surrounding the use of public funds.

In a statement made available to the media and signed by the Executive Director Goodwell Lungu, TIZ said that their threats are very unwarranted and urged the two law makers to appreciate the role of the AGs office.

” Instead, they should start preparing to tell their side of the story on the serious allegations against them that they are the ones who handled quotations emerged. These are serious allegations that deserve a serious approach, ” read the statement.

” As TIZ, we want to categorically state that we fully support the stance taken by the Auditor General’s Office and the Public Accounts Committee in ensuring that all those that are cited in any potential irregularities, potential abuse, thefts, corruption and misappropriation of funds are exposed and handed over to law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution.”

In view of the revelations on the 2 Deputy Ministers, TIZ has called on the Anti-Corruption Commission to urgently institute investigations into this report.

[pullquote]“There must have been some inside-bid rigging because how come successful bidders quoted exact amounts that were budgeted for the items to be purchased? How come suppliers knew what was prioritised?” asked Chifungula. [/pullquote]

” In fact the ACC by now should be concluding such an investigation as we are aware that in June 2012, the ACC announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Auditor General’s office to share such information. The ACC should not take more time to conclude this investigation as it appears to us that the Auditor General’s Office already collected evidence on this serious allegation, ” read the statement

TIZ concluded by calling upon President Sata as the appointing authority to consider suspending the 2 Ministers immediately by pave way for investigations against them. This is as a result of an alleged prima facie case that the Auditor General’s office seems to have established against the 2 ministers. We further encourage members of the public to access the Public Accounts Committee report and read for themselves the details and revelations on matter.

According to the Auditor General Anna Chifungula’s report, both Deputy Ministers were involved in the fraudulent purchase of second hand ambulances for their respective constituencies. Ms Chifungula said public procurement guidelines do not allow purchase of second hand cars for government.

“This is contrary to regulations because government regards such vehicles as write-offs. Look at the age of the models, 1996 and you want to use it as ambulance! I am not accusing them but what they did doesn’t make sense to the system,” she said

The AG also suspected inside bid rigging because the successful bidders quoted the exact amount of money budgeted for.

“There must have been some inside-bid rigging because how come successful bidders quoted exact amounts that were budgeted for the items to be purchased? How come suppliers knew what was prioritised?” asked Chifungula.

“The MPs were involved in getting quotations and correspondence points to that effect and Mwewa could have declared interest because one of the directors at Mutombo Suppliers and Construction is a relative.”

LUAPULA Province Minister Rodgers Mwewa and the Provincial Permanent Secretary Ann Mwitwa Mubanga during the Miss Environment 2012 beauty contest at TEJA Lodge in Mansa
Rodgers Mwewa (L)

18 COMMENTS

  1. Hon Ministers, when you set out to find the cause to your problems in other people, you will never find them because they are not there . They are in you and you did what you knew to do stealing for the poor. How do you buy a 1996 model vehicle for ambulance, surely you have no heart for the people you represent and its good you join George Mpombo and Masumba.

    • We accept that the nurses were f.o.o.l.ish to believe any thing PF and Sata VSTC tells them. However the government should re-instate these nurses immediately to avoid unnecessary deaths as a result of their deceptive politics.

      Going forward all Zambians should open their eyes and listen carefully before falling for any lie from these f.o.o.l s led by a former victoria station toilet cleaner SATA the VSTC.
      Next time vote wisely. Although your ability to vote next time will depend on whether Sata VSTC does not concoct a constitution to ban elections or systematically ban all those who have never held an elected seat before. The latter is more likely to happen in order to ban HH and Chipimo.
      If the constitution is not published by end of January , embark on massive protests .

    • If Masumba was fired, lets see if the two con-men will be fired as well.
      I thought Kabimba was just allucinating when he said there are some corrupt PF ministers,

    • @Nosradamus
      No,no no,,, this is tribalism,, masumba is victim because he is the only PF MP from north western,,, Sata seems to have a change of heart, suddenly he loves Lozis and biased towards them.He has released all lozis who were in jail,, he has even acquitted Liato a lozi with full benefits,, so liato will now be competiting with HH & GBM cashwise.
      Ba mwinso Mpombo despite being full gusto, Sata has jailed him because he is from kaputa and same tribe with Mwanawansa,, can you see? this is open tribalism
      Ba mwinso Mpombo is the only Zambian living who can make white people rush for dictionaries and wikipedias when he is speaking english,,

      AM MOUNTING A PROTEST `FREE BA MWINSO`,, I WILL BE BLOGGING NAKED UNTIL HE IS FREED AND ALL CHARGES ARE DROPPED!!

  2. Arrest the f.oo.ls. will see how allergic cycle mata is to corruption when his own ministers are involved in corruption.

  3. You know you are in trouble when the level of sophistication of a corrupt act is this, oddly, simple. They (bidders) matched the exact amount budgeted for? And the accused are daring to attack a custodian of the audit at the expense of abandoning their exculpation? This kind of audacity can only indicate a breakdown at a certain level of governance that is worrying. From faked educational qualifications to cheap forgery and insider dealing!! Na nsoni mulibe ba mambala imwe! You see now I am glad I can still remember some vernacular!!!

  4. THERE IS NO POINT FOR THE TWO LAW MAKERS TO PANIC AND THREATEN THE AG WITH LEGAL ACTION FOR DEFORMATION OF CHARACTER. THEY ARE HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE AND ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR ACTIONS WETHER INDIRECT OR INDIRECTLY. THE BEST FOR THE 2 MPS IS TO REMAIN COOL AND DEFEND THEMSELVES AT THE RIGHT TIME. IF THEY WERE NOT INVOLVED IN ANY WAY THEN WELL AND GOOD. BUT ONE CAN NOT HIDE TRUE COLORS FOR A LONG TIME. WE ARE YET TO HEAR MORE PLUNDER CASES FROM OUR LEADERS COZ WE ARE APPROACHING HALF TIME OF THEIR TERM OF OFFICE. AG TAKE THEM ON WOTHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR. THOSE WHO PANIC WHEN A RED FLAG IS RAISED HAVE MORE TO FEAR THAN THOSE WHO ARE INNOCENT.

  5. TIZ CALLED UPON PRESIDENT SATA, AS THE APPOINTING AUTHORITY, TO CONSIDER SUSPENDING THE 2 MINISTERS IMMEDIATELY TO PAVE WAY FOR INVESTIGATIONS AGAINST THEM.

    1. MPs Dora and others were not suspended on mere allegations.
    2. Minister Masumba was not suspended until the courts concluded.
    3. Leaders don’t act on mere allegations but wait for the law to take its cause.

    The only offense the two gentlemen committed was to handle and evaluate, if they did, the quotations part. Otherwise there was nothing wrong procuring vehicles as ambulances for the the poor and sick folks in Luapula.

  6. Too bad for Annie Mwiitwa. She has become the fallback safety net. Gal, go back to Succeed Mubanga. he is a gentleman. That Minister chap will simply mess up your career. Chitotela, just humble yourself and see how you can disengage your self from this mess. arrogance and shouting, just like your bosses, will not solve the problems.

  7. TIZ, tell Auditor-General to investigate CDF for 2012 to see those bought second hand graders from UK and USA. Let her do it to show that she is fair. Some MPs talking could even be more corrupt.

  8. Good to hear from TIZ. They should have issued a statement on Hon. Kabimba’s actions at ACC when he was summoned to clear his name.

    That is what TIZ should always do regardless of the position of the person involved.

    The Chpenzi story on the grounds of arrest makes sad reading though.

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