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LUSAKA: The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested former Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba for corrupt practices involving over US$33million.
Mr Yamba, 62, has been arrested and charged with one count of willful failure to comply with applicable law and procedure relating to procurement contrary to Section 34 (2) (b) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012.
In 2018, Yamba did not follow the procedure when he authorized an advance payment of US$33, 750,000.00 to China Energy Engineering Group – Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd for the construction of FTJ Chiluba University in Mansa and Kasama under the Ministry of Higher Education. The said money was paid to the contractor but todate no university has been constructed.
In the same matter, the ACC has also arrested Joseph Phiri, an architect at the Ministry of Higher Education, for attempting to fraudulently facilitate a payment amounting to US$ 29,186,169.09 to China Energy Engineering Group–Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd.
Mr Phiri, 57 of Lusaka has been arrested and charged with one count of fraudulent facilitation of payment contrary to section 34 (2) (a) as reading together with section 40(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act No.3 of 2012.
Phiri, being an Architect at the Ministry of General Education and Project Manager for the construction of FTJ Chiluba University in Mansa and Kasama, in 2018, did attempt to fraudulently facilitate payment to China Energy Engineering Group–Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd by signing and issuing an Interim Payment Certificate No. 2 valued at US$ 29,186,169.09 with an inflated sum of US$7,578,772.41 for goods purportedly supplied when in fact not.
The Commission is also pursuing Joseph Ngulube, a Quantity Surveyor at the Ministry of Higher Education in relation to the same matter.
Mr. Joseph Phiri has since appeared in Court and has been granted bail by the Court while Mr Yamba is expected to appear in Court soon.
