THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has said it is not carrying out any investigations into alleged corrupt practices by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) over a printing company it engaged to print ballot papers for the 2011 general elections.
In a statement released in Lusaka yesterday, ACC director-general Godfrey Kayukwa said there were no investigations concerning ECZ or any of its suppliers, including Universal Printing Group of South Africa.
“Recently, there have been statements and reports in the media in relation to generalised allegations of corruption at the ECZ in the public interest and as director of ACC I have decided to provide some clarity on this matter.
“The ACC wishes to state that there is no investigation concerning the ECZ or any of its suppliers,” he said.
Mr Kayukwa, however, said the institution was investigating an allegation of corruption against a former ECZ employee, Mpundu Mfula on a matter unrelated to the printing of ballot papers.
He said the allegations against Mr Mfula were made in 2007 by an individual.
“It was, however, not possible to progress the investigations into this allegation due to the fact that Mr Mfula left the country and his whereabouts are not known since April this year.
“The commission recorded a warn-and-caution statement from him in April itself. As this is an on-going investigation, the commission is constrained from releasing any details at this stage as this would prejudice the investigation and the rights of Mr Mfula,” Mr Kayukwa said.
Meanwhile, ECZ said it was dismayed by the manner in which Patriotic Front member Given Lubinda delivered a letter to the office of the chairperson of the commission.
ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna said in a statement last evening that Mr Lubinda was in the company of other people and a cameraman who, without permission, took pictures in the chairperson’s office and the reception.
“The commission would like to warn political parties and their members that the commission will not entertain such behaviour and will not hesitate to take drastic action against any individual who deliberately puts to risk the security of the commission.
“The mandate of the commission is to conduct elections and it will not be distracted by any intimidatory and cowardly acts from any individual or party,” Mr Akufuna said.
Last week Given Lubinda said that the company printing ballot papers for next month’s elections has a record of bribery and corruption and challenged ECZ chairperson justice Irene Mambilima and Anti Corruption Commission director general Godfrey Kayukwa to explain what they knew about corruption involving Universal Print Group (UPG), a South African firm engaged to print ballot papers.
[Times of Zambia]
The Times of Zambia waz once a marvel to read.
Rupiah wants to protect his cronies and his wallet…
by the way why RB fired former task force on corruption chairperson Maxwell Nkole ? He was too honest ??
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from ukzambians
Maxwell Nkole
I come from a very humble background. My father was a primary school teacher, my mother a housewife, there were eight children. You looked around you and wondered why some families were privileged. As a result, I’ve always had a passion for justice and fair play.
As a young man I enlisted in the police. I took a law degree at the University of Zambia, a Masters at Cardiff, and I rose to become chief of Zambia’s CID. Later, after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, I was sent to Kigali as a UN investigator, preparing cases for the International Criminal Tribunal in Arusha.
When we got to Kigali there was no electricity or water – everything had broken down. Dead bodies were lying everywhere. The work was so nauseating you could hardly eat. We were operating in four languages, trying to harmonise all the different legal systems. But we set some important precedents. We put the former Rwandan prime minister on trial, the first head of state to plead guilty to genocide before a court. We had rape classified as a war crime.
Then Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa decided to inject new life into the corruption investigation into his predecessor, Frederick Chiluba. He knew government resources had been misapplied and didn’t have confidence in the Anti-Corruption Commission. He set up the Task Force on Corruption, and in 2005 I was made chairman.
The Task Force recovered 1,000bn kwacha ($263m), registering close to 15 high-profile convictions. We scored a massive triumph in May 2007 with a civil case in London against Chiluba, who was found, in his absence, to have stolen $46m and was ordered to pay it back to the Zambian people. He had spent more than £500,000 on designer clothes; the court exhibits included 72 pairs of shoes. It was appalling to see a head of state wallowing in such luxury.
Then Mwanawasa died. Last August, a court in Zambia cleared Chiluba of corruption, saying he was not a public servant and the funds could not be traced to public coffers. He never took the oath or presented any defence. There were glaring anomalies in the judgment, so my prosecutors lodged an appeal.
The Director of Public Prosecutions blocked it – the government said enough money had been spent.
I was sacked and the Task Force has been disbanded. I suspect it was all part of a political deal between the current administration and Chiluba. Mwanawasa’s successor won the elections by a slim margin and his ministers seem to believe Chiluba can help them win the 2011 elections. There was a choice between supporting my job and Chiluba, and they chose Chiluba.
At the time, I was surprised – I had not expected them to be so ruthless. But then I looked back and realised these people had divorced from me a long time before. I used to brief Mwanawasa every month. I didn’t even meet the current president for the 11 months before my removal.
why have they not started investigations?
continued
I went from being a corruption hunter to being one of the hunted. Chiluba and his people hate us. My team has been smeared; the president has suggested we overspent. They are welcome to examine our accounts.
People are realising now that corruption is a far bigger problem for development than they thought. In Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia, all the specialised units set up to fight corruption have been undermined. The question is, what do you put in their place?
The good thing is that Zambians are up in arms. Before, they didn’t understand how the elite had acquired so much wealth while there was so little development. They didn’t know about the 349 shirts, the 206 designer jackets, the flats in Belgium. You cannot take the anti-corruption fight away from them now.
#7
doc phiri
because UPG money is so sweet….
@mike te. if ve been in kitwe after 20hrs and look at the street children in condition they leave, u ll be at pain to compare how one cannot have a heart. 72 pairs of shoes mmm mmm. kafupi deserves to die. hipocricy will not make us any better. if a person messed up, he messed up wether alive or dead period.
@ Mike you have done so well but with all the truths that you have why not document everything so that the whole world can know what this government has done. The problem that we have in our country is lack of awareness, people needs to be informed, write a book if you can, make money on it while bringing out the truth to the entire world. You are the people holding powerful information which people needs to know in order to make up their minds with this current government. Share that out in all languages and all medias. We are behind you!!!
Ba Task Force what are your problems? How I miss Mr Nkole and Mwanawasa. From the time he died you haven’t done anything concerning your force.
I know the man very well….he will handle all MMD chaps justically in time….. lost her awesome wonderful beloved wife, sister and a mother MHSRIP…. Viva PF and MMD watch this space Task Force to be reinstated
To be honest there is nothing wrong with 72 pairs of shoes as a head of state for 10years.its just that we are poor so such is luxurious.but the whole issue is the high level of corruption in this country, where is max nkole now?
ACC must be investigated as soon as possible for abating crimes in the whole country.
The pipo at ECZ are not addressing the real issue of suspected corruption involving UPG. don’t give an excuse that Given came to your offices with a camera man. Please respond the allegations raised by Given. The Post has further reported that money laundering has taken place at ECZ thru the transfer of money into pipo’s accounts by UPG. ACC PLEASE MOVE IN!
if we to the polls with such allegation of corruption at ECZ, I bet you election results will be disputed and ECZ will be blamed for keeping quite.
The ACC is full of lazy people, how does it take 4 years to investigate one person with no results to show for except their inflated allowances. The phrase ‘on going investigation’ is been abused, people need results, you can’t keep telling people the same after many years. When a person reports acts of corruption, the ACC should not complain and start asking why that person reported the act to them, this make people uncomfortable. The ACC should just investigate any act reported not choosing on political party lines.
#11
@ John
“…The problem that we have in our country is lack of awareness…”
you are perfectly right…
I make my little contribution among others (maravi blog, zambian economist,…)
If Zambian people knew their evil deeds, that corrupt regime would collapse quickly…
ACC is a swindle and it is rupiah ‘s puppet
A new proof : $100 million swindled from former ZCCM
The govt knows who play that dirty trick, and where the money is !! but nothing was done
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from apanews
APA – Port Louis (Mauritius) Zambia and Mauritius, within the framework of the Mutual Assistance Programme are working to retrieve 100 million dollars alleged swindled from the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), APA learnt here.
The Zambian government holds 85 percent of shares in the ZCCM.
A high level delegation of the Zambian Task Force on Corruption, Tuesday arrived in Mauritius to pursue the matter.
Rama Valayden, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to reporters Wednesday in the capital, Port Louis,
continued
, that he will hold a working session in the evening with the Zambian delegation to discuss the follow up of the case which implicates offshore companies incorporated in Mauritius.
He said about 100 million dollars have been transferred through the Bank of Butterfield Account in London, before being invested in the banking system in Mauritius and said the suspects in the scam are known by Zambian and Mauritian authorities.
At the beginning of the year, at the request of the Zambian government, the Mauritius Supreme Court issued an ’Attachment and Freezing Order’ to several banks here on the accounts of the suspects, Mr Bernard Mungulude, Mr Kazhi Kateke and the Laxi diamond company.
continued
The duty of the Zambian Task Force on Corruption now was to seek to identify the local agents and representatives of the suspects so as to be able to recover and repatriate the money.
Hence, local banks have been assigned to submit documentary evidence to expose the criminal gang, or else the banks will face dire consequences, Valayden said.
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the gvt, finance minister Musokotwane ALSO FORMER DIRECTOR OF ZCCM know that and where the money is…
if mauritian banks refuse to return money why Musokotwane does not publicly make pression on mauritians ??
Zambian people need these $100 m
Can someone from anti-corruption investgate Mr Chilufya Chenda the suspended Taekwondo president why he was selling sports materials he got from world taekwondo fedaration meant to distrubute for free and many other things