IT’S likely that some Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officials may have been coerced into concealing the names of the people who own the 48 housing units suspected to be proceeds of crime, Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) president, Wright Musoma, has charged.
Mr Musoma told the Daily Nation in a telephone interview in Lusaka yesterday it was strange that the ACC could fail to trace the owners of the housing units when it had competent investigation officers.
He said the situation raised suspicion that some people in the system may have been paid in order not to disclose the information as there were so many ways of finding out that information.
ACC acting Director General Rosemary Nkonde Nkuzwayo announced on Monday the Commission had closed the case against a named Ministry of Finance official who allegedly owned 48 housing units recently forfeited to the State for lack of evidence linking him to the said property.
She said no one had come forward to declare ownership of the said property after publication of the gazette notice while the person in whose name the property were registered had equally disowned them.
Ms Nkuzwayo said the ACC could not prosecute the matter in the absence of evidence.
But Mr Musoma said the matter at hand was serious and the ACC should do everything it could to trace the owner of the said properties.
He described the commission’s justification for closing the matter as unreasonable and urged them to re-open it so that the person or people behind it could be punished.
“The Commission chief is showing us that some officials were most likely bribed in order to hide the names of the owners of the housing units. So the ACC is saying that those houses built themselves, which is unacceptable. We are urging ACC to re-open the case and institute investigations so that people involved are brought to book,” Mr Musoma said.
He said the nation would not tolerate mediocrity from the Commission because it is entrusted with an important task to burb in the nation.
Daily Nation
THIS CERTAINLY STINKS.
ACC SHOULD BE DISBANDED IF IT DISPLAYS SUCH INCOMPETENCE!
GOVERNMENT SHOULD INTERVENE NOW TO SHOW IT IS NOT JUST PAYING LIP SERVICE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION.
WE ARE NOT AMUSED.
I watched the stage managed and well rehearsed smoke screen or damage control pretense by both ZNBC and ACC for I do not know whom, with sadness and a broken heart at how once vibrant institutions have been been reduced to heaps of garbage.
Surely, how can that woman think of fooling all Zambian by advancing a very stupid reason for discontinuing the investigation in the ill gotten property consisting of 48 flats? If important institutions like ACC have to be headed by compromised, incompetent and low caliber people like that woman, then even a grade one school going kid can do a better job there.
Is it possible that the flats were built miraculously without anyone applying for land, water and electricity services? Who signed the tenancy agreements with the tenants? The only…
The only conclusion I reached is that there might be a very big fish in a position of intimidating and silencing anyone who can bring information about the ownership of the property.
But as stated in the Bible, nothing hidden in this world shall not be revealed. A day will come when all thieves masquerading as leaders and all those who have become accomplices in shielding criminals will be made to account for their stupidity.
I watched the stage managed and well rehearsed smoke screen or damage control pretense by both ZNBC and ACC for I do not whom, with sadness and a broken heart at how once vibrant institutions have been been reduced to heaps of garbage.
Surely, how can that woman think of fooling all Zambian by advancing a very stupid reason for discontinuing the investigation in the ill gotten property consisting 48 flats? If important institutions like ACC have to be headed by compromised, incompetent and low caliber people like that woman, then even a grade one school going kid can do a better job there.
Is it possible that the flats were built miraculously without anyone applying for land, water and electricity services? Who signed the tenancy agreements with the tenants?
Zambians, anyone can go to the deeds office & give them the plot number of the property & get a copy of the title deed which will have all the details. Anyone. Reporters can. So get off your behinds & go & draw the information & stop making noises.
When the fish starts to rot, it starts from the head. We know who the head is.
Who was receiving the rental payments. If its through the bank, who is the owner of the account. Perhaps this person was even making withdrawals. Simply put ask the tenants who was receiving the rent.
Kikikikikikijukija
Ati you mean those houses built themselves?
Someone is messing up.
Years of docility and probably sheer stupidity as Zambians have been taken for granted by both politicians and those in influential governance administration that any silly explanation will be welcomed. Letting this matter to expire in the manner the ACC wants to make believe that the investigations have determined “a miracle happened” the houses established themselves is defining Zambians as sleepy *****’s! ACC has declared itself defunct!
Yes my white Swiss wife Elisa worked for an organisation to support the zambians ACC. She was shocked by the level of corruption and lies. She had to resign her role. My swiss wife says ACC is a waste of public funds controlled by pf. She is right and I love her
Ba Neez.
Mushota ditched the c.rap and you have picked up where she/he left off. At first, you were an objective blogger but now you have lost it. You are the people LT must black out from this forum. You’re simply pathetic.
Thanks
Baghoos, pls bear with Ba NEEZ, he has not been taking his medication.
This is just absolutely disgraceful.
We have a very docile opposition only pre occupied in getting top plot 1. Why not mobilise and go demonstrate at the the ACC offices. That is why I like EFF in South Africa. They play the role of checks and balances very well ….not our UPND.!!
It is not wise to even request lungu’s government to intervene. How can you ask someone behind all the mess to intervene? What’s wrong with you Zambians?
President lungu himself knows who the owner of the 48 houses is. These thieves just awaits prisons.
The ACC, is the most corrupt it self, it is the watchdog for the ruling party . it is clear that, one big fish in Govt is the owner of those houses. if it was the opposition, this news could have gone like bush fire in October. but just a reminder to ACC , remember, the public now has lost confidence in you office because you are being driven like a car . Mr president if you have no control and interest in seeing that this criminal are brought to book tell us, Govt should involve OP and Police Intelligence to investigate this matter. We know some one in Govt is at it. Zambians wake up guys , your sweat just to pay this Tax and some one is misusing it,this is docility of the worst kind . 38% tax can’t be misused by this Devils with out any say.
Govt of thieves. From top to bottom
The person in whose name the property was registered is the owner. Unless he explains how the property was registered in his name , and why he did not disown it until investigations began.
Iwe, Rosemary Nkonde Nkuzwayo, how were the tenants paying their rentals? Through the banks? Then follow up with the owner of that account. Secondly, those tenants have signed the Tenancy agreement, right? Signed with who? Madam, Rosemary Nkonde Nkuzwayo, you are either too lazy or incompetent. Or you know the owner of those flats and you are fearing for your job. I will tell your husband so that you can resign
Rosemary Nkuzwayo doesn’t deserve a salary, mwebantu
ACC is infiltrated with high ranking PF officials, and the only way to identify them is to kick out PF. I dont see that happening because the sad truth is most of us are driven by hate, we become so blinded that even when we see the corruption and because we are part of it hence everyone who criticizes PF is branded as an enemy…WHAT A PEOPLE WE ARE, WE ARE WORSE THAN THE DEVIL.
Quite Apalling and Unacceptable. It’s an indication of how corruption has infiltrated all state institution. You can’t imagine how us Intwrnational specialists feel when confronted with vivid corrupt practices. Who built those houses??? I have suspects in my mind… and whoever has been controlling the buildings, letting and property management is also a suspect and the burden of proof rests upon such persons to state how and why they built, and from which resources and who asked them to be controlling such property. ALl Heads of LEAs must be replaced.
Zambians are beingnrobbednin broad daylight.
Kambwili has become a menance to the Zambian political arena. His style is that of insulting the head of state and threating to deal with Chinese.heard the recording of his rally at riverain in Kitwe and it was about he Kambwili asking God ”ati Bushe Lungu afuminekwi?”
Kambwili has forgotten that it was he who single handedly campaigned for Lungu on the Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern. Even a 10 year old boy at that rally saw how foolish and stupid Kambwili is by saying
ati ”Lungu emwine wa chisushi”.
Where is Lusambo to slap this Kambwili again?
This is Spectacularly disgraceful from the ACC and completely erodes the little public confidence the General public may have had. When FIC first reported on this , ironically it was the same ACC Director General who un necessarily held a press briefing to castigate a partner government institution. This feat was itself unprecedented in the history of our Republic. Looking back one wonders – was that press briefing , that castigating a self defence from an Officer with conflicted Interest? was it a typical case of hiding behind a finger as it were? ACC please redeem yourselves.
The truth is obvious.The owner of the 48 properties is connected to the corridors of power and has been shielded from the strong arm of the law.Let them elude the law, for now.Time is ticking
2021 is just around the corner, this will be campaign tool for the opposition.
@ My Point and Imprezza I concur with you both though cowardice has eaten into what little spine the few who could stand up to what is right had. Much as what is happening is material for talking points to the opposition parties I have misgivings about capacity to effectively package all this in opening up minds!
Government of the greedy,
By the greedy,
For the greedy.
These people have been chasing Fred Meembe for a house he built using his own money and yet they fail to arrest thieves. Shocking ! Lungu is a disgrace. Pompwe number one. How do these people sleep at night? Christian nation ? Bellends they are!
As Zambians we shall continue going round and round without knowing the end of the circle.Why dont you change the constitution to answer all these questions. Who appoints the ACC? Who appoints the judges? Dont you remember Regina Chiluba’s case over the properties on the copperbelt: what was the judgement? If the finger is pointing at ECL do you know about his immunity? Can you initiate proceedings now. Zambians be real we are in 2019.Freedom of information status at the moment does not allow you as a citizen to get information on who owns what unless you pay someone to steal the information for you. Wake up from this societal slumber!!!!
I weep for the demise of the newspaper that ‘dug deeper!”
How can Mr. Edgar Lungu and his corrupt PF regime know the so-called saboteur who cut one tiny electricity pole costing about K300 in some rural part of Southern Province, but cannot know who built 48 multi million worth of flats right in the capital city?
Edgar Lungu was screaming about sabotage of an electricity pole and he is quiet about the 48 houses as if building 48 houses from stolen money is not sabotage. Let us hear if he will say he wont bring development to Lusaka for this sabotage.
Surely this is an opportunity for the opposition to take issue and be seen to exercise checks and balances. They can mobilize resources and engage an investigator to get to the bottom of this. They have a ready-made (Mueller style) counsel in the Nchito brothers.
Let them explore the legalities of such an exercise and ensure there is no partiality. Then we will take our opposition serious and just maybe start a revolution.
HH, CK and all law abiding citizens arise!
That’s Zambia for you. ACC failing to find the owner of the 48 flats. Laughable really. Even My son doing grade 4 can locate the owner of the flats. The whole thing does not need investigations. It’s self explanatory. ACC has been threatened by the owner/owners of the flats. The big question is who is that “OWNER” that can silence the state institution like ACC?????
Look, this why we are forever and a day talking corruption without tangible proof and the powers that be retort back asking for evidence! THE WHOLE THING NEEDS INVESTIGATIONS!!! It will render credence to the wolf cry.
I will collect the rentals for August
LOL!
Looks like the ACC don’t have any qualified investigators
***Breaking news*** – the owner has been revealed as Pamela Gondwe
You need to increase the doze of the medication you are taking; now it is not working.
Now that the miracle houses have been forfeited, I guess next step is a secret disposal auction will be “held” & a bogus firm will “buy” them all reverting everything to the “original owner”. It’s a really cruel twist in a poor country like ours when patients are dying due to lack of adequate medical care…
48 houses don’t just fall out of the sky. I have a suspicion that this is a “joint venture” with a number of names on the title deeds.
Talking about mediocrity, the design of those front porches is an assault to the eyesight. The round columns just don’t agree proportionally with the depth and height of the porch. But then, what do you expect when you’re looking at crookedly acquired projects?
We see you all you do God ill punish you for it…
We need a new ministry called “What Africans did not learn from Colonial Masters”. The colonizers wrote down from whom the land was stolen, and who stole it. We lack the culture of keeping records and remembering. Write things down and keep records.
So sad for our country. As if we are talking to a one day baby ACC what an embarrassment you can expose in public better you keep quiet than embarrassing the country.
This is what happens when the society is corrupt to the core. Who authorised the construction of the property. Council officers are paid salaries every month what do they do? It’s not to ensure they approve construction. One has a feeling that we are just a banana republic.
Uhm…a few weeks ago I read how two senior officers women, one the ACC DG the other FIC DG too each other on. When I dug further I was informed that the one at FIC was once upon a time subordinated to the one at ACC…hence the stand off. The ACC boss was informing the nation that her colleague at FIC did not know what she was doing and that she was putting the spanners into the works….well FIC unearthed these houses from Mars….now you who are “seasoned” in investigations please where are the owners? Have they gone back to Mars? The ACC has new Commissioners can they call an emergency meeting and demand answers from Management? So who needs advise on how to run shop now ?
How can ACC come up with such a conclusion? Dont they know that there is a paper trail starting from ministry of lands, council and ZRA just in case the properties have been changing hands through sale and resale. Yet again i hope the government is not trying to swerve we zambians from questioning how the government and FQM settled the over 70 billion kwacha tax bill by reopening the 48 houses case. Zambians let us not be silent anymore there are ways in which we can show our grievances provided in the constitition which we can use. It is time to make the government of today and future governments to never take Zambians for granted.
At “don’t just accuse, show evidence of corruption to the ACC”. This is the type of n0nsense that we get told. I mean what kind of evidence when you have 48 houses that have just magically appeared from the heavens. What a failed sh*thole country this is. And Zambians will go to sleep praying and pretending all is well in the country… and that is what hurts the most. This type of n0nsense wouldn’t happen in a progressive country with well informed citizenry.
Seriously this is unbelievable! I nean are you kidding me? You are telling me the entire country couldn’t know a person who builds 48 townhouses in the middle of the capital city? Man what kind of n0nsense is this?
– who approved the land and in whose name is the title deeds?
– did council and…
…..
– who approved the land and in whose name is the title deeds?
– did council and city planners visit the construction of the houses?
– who was the builder and who engaged them and/or paid them?
– Couldn’t you follow the trail of the money, including where materials were bought?
Just simple logical questions and reasoning would lead you to the corrupt thief. Oh let me guess: the houses belong to Lungu or his daughter Tasila.
Obviously whoever it is has nothing to lose because they never spent a coin of their own money, but they built using proceeds of crime. Unbelievable!
Has the chief Government spokes person said anything concerning the 48 miracle houses? If not, what is she waiting for? If she has, what did she say? Is it not in bounds of her duty to clear issues of national interest? Can the Government give the side of the story of theirs.
@Observer
I concur with you but don’t blame UPND for position on the matter. You know very well how the opposition is intimidated by the ruling PF. People have been beaten and shot at and even killed by the state police just to silence the opposition, don’t forget too quickly then judge poorly the circumstances at hand.
ACC must disband in national interest. There is NONSENSE at its highest. Zambians we cannot tolerate this bs…..not not not Ever.
Lusaka Times – you have done a good job by unearthing this ACC related matter. However the pictures you are using for this story constitute fake news as they have nothing to do with the flats the ACC have been investigating and siezed, which dampens the impact of your story. To further improve the credibility of your story please ensure you go and take the true pictures of the 48 flats in question as opposed to including pictures that have been randomly harvested from facebook profiles. Sadly, you are merely replicating pictures from an earlier story by Ba Zambia Watchdog, which was also inaccurate in this respect. You will do well to send your reporters to Chalala to go and get the correct pictures.
ACC, next time you come open to the public always remember & respect the public, the people out there are more mature & much reasoning. You can’t just come out in open and issue out that lame statement as if the public is full of puppies or headless chickens easy to entertain with jokes