ACC ARRESTS TWO GOVERNMENT OFFICERS

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested two government officers for corruption and abuse of office involving over K1.5 billion.

ACC Public Relations Manager Timothy Moono disclosed in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today that Mwala Katundu, 33, and Emmanuel Gabby Nguni, 53 both of Lusaka have been arrested in connection with rehabilitation works at Livingstone Central Prison.

Mr. Moono said Katundu, a Quantity Surveyor with the Ministry of Works and Supply, Buildings Department, was arrested for one count of abuse of authority of office for certifying that rehabilitation works at Livingstone Prison were fully done when in fact not.

His co -accused Emmanuel Nguni, An Assistant Director Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Home Affairs was arrested and charged for two counts of corrupt practices by public office and one count of abuse of authority of office.

Nguni is alleged to have received K5 million cash gratification from Yolomino Mbewe, the Director of Choice Build Ltd, a company contracted to conduct works at the Prison for facilitating the award of the contract.

He is also charged for directing a total amount of K7 million be paid to the company without following laid down procedures.

Nguni is further charged for corruptly accepting or receiving a total of K86 million cash gratification as an inducement or reward from Yolomino Mbewe for having facilitated the payment of alleged extra works at Livingstone Prison amounting to K700 million.

Both Nguni and Katundu have denied the charges and have been remanded in custody and are expected to appear in court.

The arrest comes in the wake of investigations the Commission has been conducting in the manner rehabilitation works at the Livingstone Central Prison were conducted and certified complete.

Choice Build Ltd was in 2009 contracted by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to rehabilitate Livingstone Central Prison at a total contract sum of K3.4 billion.

However by the end of the purported execution of works which was a contract period of 28 months, and at the time the contractor was about to hand over the works to government, it was found that the works were incomplete and the Government had paid a total of K4.1 billion which includes the unapproved K700 million .

ZANIS