Thursday, March 28, 2024

Patrick Mwanawasa explains away the unvouched expenditure of K 349 million in AG Report

Share

EASTERN Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa
EASTERN Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa

EASTERN Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa said the new infrastructure development which Government has put in place was understaffed.

Mr Mwanawasa said in a statement today that the new infrastructure developments does not yet have the necessary equipment to ensure systems of accountability were effective hence the increase in unvouched expenditure of K 349 million.

He explained that the irregularities pertaining to undelivered materials were not a true reflection of what the facts.

Mr Mwanawasa said Zambia have gone through two elections which contributed towards the irregularities.

“ For example, most SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprise) with Government contracts rely on down payments to execute their jobs and the financial year in question has been characterised by strange events as such, resources have been truncated to facilitate for only the bare necessities of Government operations thus hampering the delivery of goods and services to the public,”he said.

He said irregular payments which had been reported in the Auditor General’s report fails to highlight the fact that the country experienced an unprecedented power crisis and to ensure that Government activities were not disrupted the state was forced to work outside the approved budgetary framework by sourcing for power to match the overwhelming demand .

“In conclusion, What the AG’s report has revealed is normal given the unprecedented levels of development the country has experienced. We are very fortunate to have a decisive leadership which responds beyond the call of duty in such strange times, had it been a different Government we could have been worse off,”he said.

Meanwhile Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has released the following statement calling to move call on Law enforcement agencies to quickly identify all the culprits and have them arrested.

In a statement released to the media by Goodwell Lungu the Executive Director, TIZ also called c all Controlling officers to identify perpetrators of misuse of public funds to be dismissed or suspended.

Below is the full statement

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is demanding for immediate arrests and dismissals of all government officials cited in all forms of irregularities cited in the 2015 audit report irregularities.

TIZ is alive to the fact that much as there have been slight improvements in some areas there are still high levels of unaccounted for and financial mismanagement of public funds which the report has clearly outlined coming from some parastatal companies and other statutory bodies.

TIZ would like to note that it is worrying that the country has continued to lose huge sums of money at the expense of disgruntled and incompetent public officers who have continued not to account for public resources at the expense of many Zambians. Surely, how does one comprehend with undelivered materials jumping from K522,905 in 2014 to K251,523,804.

It simply means that government in 2016 paid K251million for materials which were not delivered at all and no action is taken. As far as TIZ is concerned, this is a simple matter that doesn’t even need wasting more time on long investigations.

In order for people to understand the revelations coming the Auditor General here is a table that gives us some indications on where things have improved and worsened. See attached for detailed analysis;

auditorreport

From the table we noted that the office of the Auditor General’s Report reveal an overall tone of poor financial and operational performance in most of the audited entities.

As TIZ, we therefore call on Law enforcement agencies to quickly identify all the culprits and have them arrested.

We also call on all Controlling officers to identify perpetrators of misuse of public funds to be dismissed or suspended. If these drastic measures are not taken, unscrupulous civil servants will continue to abuse public resources as they will undoubtedly know that even law enforcement agencies have gone to sleep in taking action.

Goodwell Lungu
Executive Director
Transparency International Zambia

47 COMMENTS

    • So it is normal to spend millions without documents to show for it? At Deputy PS level and as controlling officer this statement is not only stupid and insulting to Zambians but also exposes the dangerous immaturity and experience of political appointments.
      This kind of thinking worries me for the next 5 years to say the least.

    • I agree with him

      Seems level headed and smart

      More of his kind please

      Him over the Mutati of this world.

      Thanks

      BB2014

    • @ Nostradamus,
      I understand you my bro, this is a dull orphan that’s difference! Orphans I know wise up quickly,, but not this one

    • He should change his last name. He is destroying his father’s legacy. You mean Levy junior even after schooling in the UK does not understand that public money must justified by facts(invoices accompanied by strong explanations etc,) not useless explanations like infrastructure development. Anyhow, like a lot have said you are a very dull chap.

    • Very stu.pid excuse, with such abundant Technology, we can’t have a system to use. he is lying because they all use this as a loophole to steal. This is unacceptable they should be held accountable.

  1. Young man just shut up enjoy tax payers money taking will bring problems your way they will fire you just be in the back ground then talk nonsense like this.

    • This is beyond waffling. This is plain stoopidity and arrogance wrapped in one individual. Anybody who starts a project and spends lots of money when the project is understaffed is either incompetent or criminality negligent. It cannot be justified. In RSA over many years, money that could not be spent due to lack of expertise in the provinces would be returned to the national treasury at the end of each years. The money was not stolen and justified. That is how Nkhandla could be audited independently.

  2. Mr Mwanawasa if you do not know something or you are a culprit its better to keep quiet. Why should an advance payment be the reason of not having a payment voucher. Do you in the first place understand what a voucher is and what it is used for. Or what has elections even if they were 20 elections in one year got to do with someone receiving money and fail to deliver goods they obtained money for. Mwana your father (MHSRIP) preached against corruption if you are involved get ready to test what others went through. I pray that you are not involved. You can not explain away theft. The only way you can explain away theft is bring back what you stole. This report is a general one, why are you answering to it as a deputy? where is your boss?

  3. this Mwnawasa is more foolish than I first thought. Was he not reported to be a student at Zambia Open University? What is he reading if at all he is reading.

  4. I am challenging Zambians to mobilise themselves and stand as one across political , religious, cultural etc and march to parliament or petition the president to instruct ACC and DEC and AG to publish the names of people directly responsible for this and they should resign or go on leave or be suspended until investigations are complete. So that those to go to jail should be locked up.

    • Iwe which Zambians naiwe?
      The people you are peaceful (dull and docile)
      If you want them to riot just touch mealie meal then you will see anything else forget!

  5. I have been practicing accounts for over four decades.This is the first time am hearing a lame and shameful excuse.I hope and wish he was not interviewed because he’s acting more of a cadre than a professional.ELC put professionals in the rightful positions.

    • You overestimate Lungu’s intelligence and integrity. He is the one who appointed this Mwanawasa nincompoop in the first place.

  6. Government money seems to be the most easy to get scot freely. The reason being almost everyone is corrupt so no one wants to be hard on another. Therefore the AG report is not enforced. In the new constitution controlling offficers can be arrested right at PAC. Lets wait and see if anyone has read it.

  7. …and this guy is a Mwanawasa? His father cut so much waste at State House and in the public sector.

    And why is he from Eastern Province explaining away the whole class of irregularities?

  8. He is indeed waffling. At once there are to be arrests then there is praise for Gov’t going above and beyond.

    However, we should do away with, ‘Misapplication, Misappropriation, Unaccounted for,’ charges in gov’t Public funding. Support, Arrests and seizure of funds taken.

  9. Civil Service Financial Regulations do not allow for Advance Payments for Goods and Services just as they do not allow for Promissory notes or Postdated Cheques. Now if memory serves me right Patrick was appointed DPS barely five months ago and so he is saying within 5 months he mismanaged 349m and wants to ‘explain’ it away before he even appears before PAC? Second why has this position recreated? The post DPS was abolished by GRZ as part of cost saving measures in 1997/8 Fiscal year….in the Province after the Minister should be the PS and then the Director not the District Commissioner and the rest of the cavalry…..

  10. Really laughable explanation…surely how can the Minister of Finance let this boy talk about matters he hardly understands…as the saying goes “if you are in a hole stop digging”.

  11. The Boy simply has no experience. Mr LP Mwanawasa himself would probably not have sanctioned his appointment had he been alive. There are two ways about it. The DEC has to move. Do not apply selective graft fight. It’s is this kind of issues that separates HH and ECL. HH personality and leadership would never entertain the rubbish we see today. Mr Lungu and HIS Henchmen should heed my words. Walk the talk, 5 years is NOT forever.

  12. Oooh my GOD ati DEPUTY PS?? What a LOAD OF HOG WASH!! Again, this government has no proper communication procedures! I thought some one well placed at Cabinet office was going to address this issue rather than THIS and THAT style of doing things!! So disappointing!!

  13. Any sane person would Not go out in public defending such blatant theft of public funds. Patrick you are a disgrace and tarnishing the good name your father established. In case you have forgotten certain names such as the Mwaangas, karobos, Mushalas , Mailos, Kapendas, kapoko , all have common thread tainted with drugs, murder, theft which will take a long time to undo. if you gave money to Dora Siliya for campaign in Eastern Province, just say so and exonerate yourself from this stench. Politics is about self preservation. Use your head to think and reflect . Are you sure you are Patrick’s son?

  14. The two statements are as different as chalk and cheese. One says don’t worry about it. The other says we should have ulcers with worry. A functioning government should not have that kind of obscure discrepancy. Looks like no heads will roll. This is the new norm.

  15. TIZ should help law enforcement agencies because on the ground,some controlling officers are busy defending culprits because they do share these moneys in most cases.In choma,three investigative officers were recently victimized and transferred so that the dirty is kept under carpet.As law enforcers,we are now scared because there is no support from above.
    It is just hard to understand how an African mind operates.These are well educated senior officers misbehaving like this.Very shameful indeed.

  16. Governments should be accountable at all costs for the use of public funds. The best is to distance yourself and not make defense to such claims.

  17. What a dul.l chap.
    Trying to justify stealing.
    And you are surprised if all GRZ workers abuse public funds when the leadership is at the forefront at abusing and stealing.

    Then you even have senior officials coming out to give excuses.

    Zambia is in deep shi.t the supposed protectors of public funds are queeing to give each other cover to loot. With lungu at the beginning of the que.

  18. Job on training as late Sata would say. I go further, misplaced by people who don’t know what they are doing. We are going in reverse, remember.

  19. Comment:The most cheapish people in the name of being peaceful are zambians, peaceful are zambian people and we thank God for the peace.matters like this are not matters to sniff at and act so complacent.Culprits should be face the wrath of their selfish and greedy actions. Brethren if u are comfortable with your life ,see the suffering of other people zambans are suffering and languishing in streets bcoz of such mischievous actions it really hurts.

  20. And to imagine we shall have to live under such people for another five years is rather frightening. This also explains why PF is against having a viable opposition. They do not want checks and balances. In a one party state all abuse is possible because there is no one to stop you through exposure. The znbc, times of Zambia, daily mail and the nation paper are government gazettees and will never safe guard the interests of the Zambian population.

  21. Patrick do u understand any thing just keep quite by going to sch so u may understand some of these things,honesty go to sch.

  22. He is making it sound like it is more easier to steal since there is no documentation. It is clear these people having been pocketing huge amount on the pretext of no documentation. But how does govt really engage in business and pays huge amount of money without proper documentation and they are not afraid to be questioned or even arrested. PM’s reasons so far are baseless and can easily land him in jail if we were a serious people.

  23. In the same country with this sort of watesfullness and corruption a person who stole a chicken was jailed for 18 years. Unbelievable!

  24. If the late LPM were alive he would have fired this boy. Very shameful especially that his father’s legacy was anchored on anti corruption. He shouldn’t even be calling himself levy junior.

  25. Strange comments from Patric. I never expected him in to sink so low to justify such wrongs. Government has adequate internal controls and procedures for accountable financial management. If controlling officers like Patric are ignorant of this or simply decide to ignore procedures, they have to respond accordingly. It is childish to say the auditor General’s finding do not reflect the facts because auditors do not just come up with issues. Auditor look at the set procedures and test the transactions to check that they meet the set criteria. In addition, PATRIC, the auditors gives you time to respond to the preliminary issues. Only after you as controlling officer have failed to address the issue satisfactorily, then they include it in the report. So, Mr. Mwanawasa, do not insult…

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading