President Rupiah Banda has received an interim report on the alleged financial scam at the Ministry of Health where billions of funds are alleged to have been misapplied by civil servants.
President Banda says the interim report shows that the amounts involved in the scam could be higher than what was initially reported going by the number of people and companies implicated in the scam.
He however, said he will wait for the final report from the Auditor-General who is currently conducting a forensic audit at the Ministry of Health.
This is contained in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka this evening and signed by special assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere
Mr Banda noted that it is clear that the corruption and theft of public funds at the Ministry of Health started a long time ago going by the interim findings by the Office of Auditor- General although the last part of the payment were made in 2008.
The report showed that most of the alleged funds were stolen in recent years up to December 2008 through various payments to a number of identified companies which were paid for goods and services which where never delivered.
It reads that some payments seemed to have been made during the illness and the consequent death of the late President Levy Mwanawasa.
And the President has since submitted that all civil servants or their agents mentioned in the scam and who are currently under investigation should not be allowed to enter the Ministry’s premises until further notice.
He explained that the decision is aimed at protecting and securing evidence as wells as to prevent any interference with the on going investigations, adding that law enforcement agencies should arrest and charge all the people involved where sufficient evidence has been established.
Meanwhile, President Banda has directed Finance and National Planning Minster Situmbeko Musokotwane and Secretary to the Treasury Likolo Ndalamei to immediately provide additional funds to the Office of the Auditor- General and the Anti Corruption Commission to help them expedite the investigations in the scam.
He said the Office of Auditor- General which has been carrying out audits in the scam should take a lead in the going investigations and submit their relevant evidence to the law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution.
And the President his morning held closed-door meeting with various aid donors and cooperative partners where he briefed them on the findings of the ongoing investigations and the decisions which he has taken so far.
President Banda also urged the donor community to take keen interest in the ongoing investigations and asked those willing to provide technical assistance to the Office of the Auditor-General in order to speed up the investigation process.
He further reiterated his position on the need to enhance the fight against corruption and theft of public funds, and he also assured the nation that all those involved in the theft of public funds will be brought to book.
ZANIS
I wonder how long it will take him to finish reading the report…yakwa Dora bachili balebelenga.
It will take up to 2011 for him to be thru.
And then what? I was thinking it should go to the DPP. Going by what has happened last time he was given such a report concerning dora nothing came up. Nway good luck ACC and well done
Is he going to take indefinitely to read this report like the one for dora’s case???
let good samaritans help him read coz it will take 3 years for him to finish reading.monga ya dora he is still paundingi..
SO, ITS TRUE THAT THERE CORRUPTION IN THE CURRENT MMD GOVERNMENT, WHETHER UNDER LPM OR RB. JUST LIKE UNDER CHILUBA, THE CURRENT SCANDALS ARE IN MINISTRY OF HEALTH. THE INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD EXTEND TO MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND LANDS (TITLE DEEDS SECTION). HOME AFFAIRS SHOULD BE PROBED TOO, ESPECIALLY PASSPORT OFFICE.
and this is just one ministry ,,, audit all ministrys u sleepy cows..money is being stolen every were!
Big time robbery in the civil service, no wonder donors have even frozen their aid! This is the time for RB to prove his integrity by exposing the culprits and dealing with them accordingly. Failure to this, he does not deserve a 2nd term and he shall be rtegarded as part of the looters.
At least tamvelako sense. Go on Mr. Presido and make sure these culprits are brought to book.
Contrary to some bloggers thinking like Maestro,Senior Citizen,Wiseman reborn,Kizito that corruption only existed under Chiluba,the MMD as an entity is a corrupt and rotten organisation no matter who is President.Its a cancer that urgently needs to be erradicated.The entire government system in Zambia is rotten to the core,Executive corrupt,National Assembly,corrupt,Judiciary corrupt.Zambia needs reorganising,beginning with changing the docile mentality of the entire soceity.Am ashamed to be associated with Zambia where the more ”educated” people are the more they destroy the country instead of improving it.”Its a nation of each one for himself.” No love for country!!
In the best interest of the nation purge and follow them all in painful recoveries. Freeze their accounts, repossess homes, and businesses then get them logged in the Interpol database with their fingerprints taken in RFID as world-syndicated criminals.
Bravo Mr President!
ANOTHER PF CRIMINAL SHOT DEAD
The suspected dangerous criminal POLICE in Lusaka have reported to have shot dead on Sunday is actually a PF cadre in their growing fund raising network. He was shot dead after he and two others snatched a motor vehicle, which has since been recovered.The suspected bandit was gunned down in an exchange of fire in the afternoon in Roma Township. Police have recovered a motor vehicle and a pistol after the shootout.
The suspected bandit was gunned down in an exchange of fire in the afternoon in Roma Township. Police have recovered a motor vehicle and a pistol after the shootout.The three suspects hired a taxi from Matero Township where Willie Nsanda is scrounging for funds to stamp his new role. It is believed they were dispatched to as a PF fund raising venture. In their act when they reached Roma residential area, they ordered the driver to surrender the keys and threatened to shoot him if he did not cooperate.
Two weeks ago Hon. Sichilima in his official Toyota Fortune was hijacked by another network of PF cadres who regrettably took their fate from the police guns two days later. The dead bodies are all in the University Teaching Hospital mortuary for identification. Crime has become the sole preoccupation of PF thugs to sustain party operations.
TO ALL BLOGGERS ON LT : I was going to take a two week sabatical from blogging but it was not to be, take this as my official return. Wise-man reborn I saw you postings. My condolences for the loss of your father, prayers for the comforting of your entire family and friends.
So now here goes, I got a little sting in my posts from this Instant. Investigate each and every ministry, government official, president inclusive. Let them keep there hands of the private media and let government journalists atleast report to us the ministers that are actually working. With that said Let the ACC and other investigative authorities conclude their work before prematurely announcing findings.
Another report before him, they are over working this man
Words for the Day:
John 3:16 – King James Version
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Let people see results Mr RB. This is a big scandal and investigations may as well stretch into other government departments. Culprits shall be brought to book. Thieving crooks
This sounds quite good.Keep the flame burning.
#16 Musimbi, he is not being overworked at all. All that is expected of him is to do the right thing: clean up the mess in his stall instead of making countless trips abroad.
Why should it take the president, under pressure from donors who are threatening to withhold their aid, to direct the Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane and the Secretary to the Treasury Mr. Ndalamei Likolo to immediately provide additional funds to the Office of the Auditor-General and the Anti-Corruption Commission to help them expedite the investigations at the Ministry of Health? Do they always have to be ordered by the president what to do? Why were these institutions established, in the first place?
Ichibemba ati “basensela elyo….
Mind boggling, isn’t it?.
MUZAYANKA KUSOGOLO EXPECIALLY AFTER KWABUKA MU 2011. PABWATO WILL DEFINATELY REDEEM THIS NATION. KEEP ON THE PRESURE TWALAYABUKA. NI PABWATO CHABE.
The biggest obstacle to all investigations concerning public funds, is the lack of mandate for the auditor general’s office. She needs power to prosecute the culprits without necessarily sending the report to the president.
Corruption is thriving in Zambia because the head of state is exercising to much power. Decentralise some of these powers through justice system.
Musi, well said.
Interesting is how the Post became mute on this big scandal.Why did it have to take Government run ACC to burst it and only moved the Post to lift the report from two days on from the Watch Dog? They were involved through Maureen and Magande.Levy’s admission in France and funeral process to Zambia was 100% paid for by Government of France and China.Why did Maureen request for US$5 million from Finance and Magande released that? Why did she press for an apartment in France?
If Maureen was involved in the wider embezzlement hence the panic for transition. The Post will always be mute and eratically commenting.interesting is the fact that US Customs and Border Control records interphase data are showing that the boy who was used to buy the 10 bilion rich civil servant’s Hummer in the US, is the same one that shipped Mmembe’s almost the same time and Port.
Chiluba corrupt,Mwanawasa corrupt,Rupiah Banda Corrupt,useless leaders!
It is clear from the interim report that the theft of public funds happened when LPM was ill in hospital and after his death. The person who was in charge of National affairs at that time was Rupiah Banda. Can he explain to the country howsuch collosal sums of money was stolen without his administration kowing or noticing?
It seems to me like everything in our country has to go thru the president. Why does it have to take the president to order the suspension and prosecution of all those allegedly involved in this scandal, like his the one who appointed them, unless am wrong, doesn’t the PS at the ministry have the powers to suspend these people, and order an investigation by the auditor generals office? And its surprising that this man calls for the suspension of these people while he was far from suspending Dora, is it because these criminals never did anything for him and his pretty sure him and his family are not involved in the scandal? Whatever the case let the law take its course and let the law enforcement agencies in our country operate freely. Let the reports be submitted to parliament instead!
#31 Indeed why? Officers employed to run institutions appear not to have authority to do anything. If in mexico all those officials can be picked up for question why not in zambia. BWANA PRESIDENT you can not be everywhere, the fact the report is with you no one will have the courage to act on it. And if you delay in acting on it ,we will acuse you of condoning curruption and these thefts.
Mwe bantu open your eyes. this and everyone else that is on the spotlight of being convicted, is purely nothing but window dressing and wasting, not only our time but our tax payers money too. They will obviously be convicted , go to jail only to get out two days later and the story goes on and on and on……….
na Sata ali mu report…checked it out lastnite …too bad …PF wawa!!
Bwana #’s 13,14, 15, 27 & 28. You sure are a rumour-monger. You are a sitting duck for litigation for libel, slander and defamation.
Yep, the Presido has to check this first; just in case he orhis colonies are involved. That is the reason everything has to pass through his hands?? That is the stupid game in Zambia. The entire law is in hands of the president
Ba Bwana, the data which blogging, where do you get it, or you one of those guys who good at ‘Bar talk’ and mistook it for facts
Ba Bwana, the data which you are blogging, where do you get it from, or you are one of those guys who are good at ‘Bar talk’ and mistook it for facts
#3 nario. YOU ARE RIGHT. THATS A POLICE CASE NOT A CONSITIONAL MATTER THAT REQUIRE THE PRESIDENT TO GO THROUGH. MAY HE WANTS TO KNOW WHO IS INVOLVED TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT HIS BLUE EYED ONES
#34 where can we access this report so that we can prove that Sata is really implicated. Otherwise you sound like a rumour monger too.If Sata was implicated that was going to be the joy and pleasure of RB to finish the Cobra. Sata has no record of corruption thats why he leads a modest life unlike HH the one who got rich from questionable liquidations of viable companies.
# 27 Ba Bwana tekanyeni. How much of the information do you have over Membe and Kapoko’s Hummers? Ala bane mwaikalisha kufyalo fyabene. The likes of Kapoko’s hummer are plenty in South Africa. I can asure you that one of them was directly bought from South Africa. The infor you seem to have collected from US Customs and Border Control records interphase data is quite wrong, please go back and re verify you findings.
#24. Mwanamuchende. You made me laugh when you said, ‘MUZAYANKA KUSOGOLO.’ Its a dialect that reminds me of ba buju. And when they say that, then you’re in for it.
I am reliably informed that the Ministry of Health was surrounded this morning by police and officers from DEC ACC etc… Stealing in the Civil service has been going on for a long time especially under CHILUBA. Under KK STEALING was rife especially in State firms like ZSIC, ZAMBIA RAILWAYS,ZESCO,UBZ etc. Some people who stole are serving in Parliament as we speak right now. Under CHILUBA it was open for all. E.g Central Statistical Office. Evidence is there for all to see. Some clerks who served under Central Statistical Office have Farms etc. Why concentrate on Big fish WHEN BIG FISH use Small Fish to Plunder.
In short … justice delayed justice denied.
Zambians concern for the uplift of our mother Zambia wherever they are will be meeting and to discuss the way forward. So their days are number especially involved in this scam. Zambia Private Citizen will to Zambia and clear those mess by forming the govt that is transparent.
Zambians concern for the uplift of our mother Zambia wherever they are will be meeting to discuss the way forward. So days of these involved in this scam are numbered. We Zambians Privately and Citizen will clear those mess by forming the govt that is transparent.
Maestro, my young brother! I am surprised by the fact you failed to make any comment. i would like to read your comments soon. Dont be partial please.
Now it is the ruling govt facing high leveles of corruption cases and stealing as a common place… This is shameful, however, these are the very people we actually voted for. This is the govt of the day full of corrupt people to bring development in the country? Are you sure Zambia is developing or is going to develop especially during the economic recession? Only God knows…take care and let us see how far we go with our empty promises. Where is the Judiciary in Zambia? All is corruption…like dead bodies in the tombs!!! smell all over!!!
what is happening to the Dora siliya case?? Nyama soya is nt keen coz his ponies are involved