The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested the former Director of the Forestry Department for corrupt practices involving exportation of Mukula logs worth over 10 Million Kwacha.
Ignatius Makumba 56 years, of plot number F/397A/116 Makeni area in Lusaka has been arrested and charged with two (2) counts of Abuse of Authority of Office, contrary to Section 21 (1) (a) as read with Section 41 of the Anti-Corruption Act number 3 of 2012, of the Laws of Zambia.
In a press statement issued, the Anti-Corruption Commission Public Relations Manager Timothy Moono explained that the details in the two counts are that in September 2021, Ignatius Makumba, who was Director of Forestry Department, did Abuse the Authority of Office by arbitrarily resolving to regularize an attempted illegal export of 23 containers of Mukula logs through Chirundu Border, and 16 containers of the same Mukula logs through Katima Mulilo Border, which were being transported by Ackson Tembo of ACK General Suppliers Limited for export to China, an act prejudicial to the interest of the Government of the Republic of Zambia.
Mr Moono added that in the same matter, the Commission has also arrested three other persons namely Ackson Tembo, 40 years, proprietor of ACK General Dealers, of plot number 7057/M off Mumbwa Road Area in Lusaka, Bruce Aongola, 46 years, of 45 Godfrey Chitalu Road, Nyumba Yanga Area, in Lusaka, and Colonel Maliwa Muwanei, a Zambia National Service Director of Operations.
“The four have been charged with 39 counts each of attempted export of Mukula logs contrary to Section 91 as read with Section 99 of the Forestry Act No. 4 of 2015 of the Laws of Zambia,” Mr Moono said
He cited that investigations have established that between 1st July, 2021 and 20th August, 2021, Tembo, Aongola, and Muwanei did attempt to unlawfully export 23 containers laden with Mukula logs through Chirundu Border and 16 containers laden with Mukula logs through Katima Mulilo borders without the necessary permits and licenses.
“Makumba, Tembo, Muwanei and Aongola have all been released on bond and will appear in court soon,” he said
Mr Moono mentioned that early this year, the Commission arrested Ackson Tembo and charged him with two (2) counts of Conveyancing of Forestry Produce without a License and one (1) count of Unlawful Export of Mukula timber contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
Mr Moono further mentioned that also arrested earlier this year for corrupt practices involving exportation of Mukula logs are former Chief Executive Officer at the Industrial Development Corporation Mateyo Kaluba, Retired Brig. General Gilbert Wails Mulenga of the Zambia Army and Chairperson of the Central Joint Operations Sub Committee Colonel Maliwa Muwanei, Zambia National Service Director of Operations Never Njobvu, former Executive Director at the Office of the President, Special Division and Bruce Aongola, Executive Officer at the Office of the President, Special Division.
“All these were members of the Central Joint Operations Sub Committee, they were arrested and individually charged with one count of Abuse of Authority of Office, contrary to Section 21 sub section 1 of the Anti-Corruption Act number 3 of 2012,” Mr Moono mentioned
Damn… They should use the mukula logs that these criminals tried to steal to construct the roofing trusses for the prisons where they and such criminals as Edgar Chagwa Lungu aka Johnathan Mutawire, Kaizar Zulu etc will be locked for a very long time.
We deserve answers and I hope with these arrests they’ll be provided. At the time ZAFFICO declared that it had made US$400,000 from mukula exports, China on the other hand claimed to have procured mukula worth US$98.0M. This is an unreconcilable disparity! This is worse than the defamation of the President charge. What kind of people were in charge of national affairs? It’ll take generations for Zambia to recover from these injuries inflicted by a brutal kleptocratic regime. This isn’t the way to run national affairs. There’s no sympathy, Bally please fix them!
Further, please widen the scope of your investigations because China had in fact declared Zambia as one of its major trade partners in Africa. Examine who sold what to China and whether the proceeds were declared? When are you going to start the issue of arrangement fees for those that were signing for loans? When MCS was sick people were even allowed to export unprocessed mineral ores against the Law. Bally if you don’t fix them we’ll fix you and that’s a promise we’re willing to keep. Never again should such wanton plunder of resources happen in this country
Monkey see monkey do……….
It was a greatest festival of stealing and corruption under lungu……….
Every one , including police chiefs had their dirty hands stuck in corruption and stealing …………
WE want the big fish who depleted Mukula ..why are you not visiting Jean Kapata !!
Utunesu to Malaysia!
Malaysians say they hope former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s jailing serves as a warning against corruption as the he spends his first day in prison at a complex outside the capital.
Najib Razak has become Malaysia’s first former prime minister to go to prison after the country’s top court upheld his corruption conviction and 12-year jail sentence, in a case linked to the multibillion-dollar scandal at the 1MDB state fund.
Malaysians on Twitter called Tuesday’s verdict historic and said they hoped it would send a “strong warning to other politicians who even think of siphoning public funds”, while Najib’s political opponents hailed it as proof of judicial independence in the country.
Argentinian Vice-President, a former president, could be facing up to 12 years in prison as she fights corruption accusations related to public works.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is accused of defrauding the state due to her alleged involvement in a scheme to divert public funds during her two terms as president between 2007 and 2015.
The investigation seeks to establish whether she and other officials in her administration favoured firms owned by businessman Lazaro Baez in the bidding processes for dozens of public works in the southern region of Patagonia, many of which were overpriced or were not completed.
Many experts suspect the allegedly diverted capital would have returned to the hands of the Kirchner family through their companies.
Another 12 people are also accused of…