The Government, through the Civil Service Commission, has dismissed three accounting staff from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development for abuse and theft of public funds.
Those dismissed are Enoce Kashweka, a Principal Accountant, Eugen Kausu, an Accounts Assistant, and Huston Hachuma, an Accounts Assistant.
Ministry of Finance spokesperson Chileshe Kandeta said the stolen funds will be recovered from the terminal and pension benefits of the three dismissed officials.
Mr. Kandeta added that the due process of the law will also be pursued by Law Enforcement Agencies.
Meanwhile, Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba has reiterated that to curb fraud and theft of public funds, Controlling Officers need to be on high alert in monitoring the happenings in their institutions.
Mr. Yamba added that Controlling Officers need to be firm in guiding their institutions on public financial management matters as they are instrumental in actualizing President Edgar Lungu’s vision of ensuring that prudent management of public resources is entrenched across the breadth and width of the public sector.
He said the Ministry of Finance will not hesitate to evoke the sanction provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, 2018, against erring Controlling Officers and other public officials when regulations and rules governing the handling and utilization of public resources are contravened.
Mr. Yamba has urged Controlling Officers to ensure that the irregularities pronounced in the auditor general’s report begin to get reversed in future audit instances.
Last week, the Ministry of Finance organised a Controlling Officers Seminar to help the delegates to appreciate the overview of the Public Finance Management Act, No. 1, 2018, and review the financial and stores regulations to bring them in conformity with the new Act and further strengthen internal control systems in the management of public resources.
Now you are using the right verb, stealing, not corruption.
We are pleased to see some action. But we all know that this is nothing but window dressing. To try to appease the donors. These are small kapenta being sacrificed so that the big fish can continue swimming and stealing. These accounts officers where stealing because their salaries are rarely paid on time and because their bosses are also too busy stealing to do anything. How long has the auditor general report been highlighting theft and yet no action has been taken by this government?
What is shocking is how easy it is for these people to steal.
There are no financial firewalls in place. There is no accountability, and/or regular internal auditing which would raise flags.
Zambia is indeed very much like Fort James….but without a door and a roof.
Free for all.
Kandeta also steals! Fuseke!
It is time to dismiss HAKAINDE MUTINTA as well.
Those accountants are Lenje and Tongas, no Bemba again. Maybe Bembas are not good in maths. A toll gate for $4 million?
Let’s roll
How much was stolen?
We can’t tell because he has not stated how much he took to PANAMA.
Mwibala, its too late to claw back any assets or secure convictions as its accepted tradition to steal government resources. What the nation needs is forensic auditing of every asset in the nation with a financial profile of its existence. Reasoning of being in “business all my life” to be backed by financial evidence from financial institutions. “In possession of £10,0000.00 offer how you got it.
Accounts assistants,how,when
Evidence overwhelming that HH stole, distroyed and looted the once vibrant Copperbelt mines and hid the money in Panama, its in black and white and we shall never forget the misery it brought to our mining community on the Copperbelt. HH you will never cheat the people of this great Province NEVER. On other hand you accuse President Lungu of corruption but cant provide evidence simply because ECL is building infrastructure, my foot!
Ah, babili fye? What about from other ministries?
Why are we talking about dismissals and not arrests if this is theft case?
They are just following what every minister in this rotten govt is doing, the president him self is busy looting what do you expect from his flock
A stealing government is firing accounting staff for stealing public funds, how ironic!
That Principal accountant should have been fired a long time ago when he was in choma.He couldnt learn a lesson.When he was transferred to Lsk Ministry of infrastracture,he continued to steal and now the long arm of the law has caught up with him.Good riddance.
Thief! Thief! kawalala, kawalala uyoooo mwikateniiii uyooooo, pompwe uyoooo…..the chase is on until he either runs off the hook or he is apprehended and either beaten to death by mob justice or if lucky taken to police! That’s what i know about the thief if seen taking something that does not belong to him (stealing). The question is, are these thieves any different from the one i know or see being chased in compounds and the streets ? How then do you just dismiss without arresting them, for all i know, for us to read that they have been dismissed for stealing then there is enough evidence to warrant their arrest not so? Come IG get them behind bars before they dish out to your corrupt officers………Kampyongo take charge! !!!