. Chanda

By CHARITY MOONGA –
ZAMBIA Railways Limited (ZRL) company secretary Nathaniel Inambao has been arrested for alleged abuse of authority of office.
Mr Inambao was arrested after a joint operation by team from the Zambia Police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).
Police spokesperson Charity Chanda confirmed the arrest of Inambao in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
Ms Chanda said Mr Inambao was arrested for alleged stripping of ZRL assets.
“It was a joint investigation by DEC, Police and ACC over the stripping of ZRL assets where Mr Nathaniel Inambao was arrested for abuse of authority of office,” Ms Chanda said.
In the first count, Mr Inambao was arrested for appointing Bristol Realtor Estate to sell seven residential plots belonging to ZRL in Bwana Mkubwa area, an act prejudicial to the Zambian Government.
He is alleged to have committed the offence between January 1 and December 20, 2012 in Kabwe in disregard of laid down procedures.
Mr Inambao in the second count is alleged to have abused his authority when he appointed the same agent to sell six plots situated off Kasuba road in Ndola, which belonged to ZRL.
Mr Inambao is alleged to have not followed the laid down tender procedures in appointing the same agent to sell sets of plots. He has been released on bond pending court hearing.
Recently Communications and Transport Minister Yamfwa Mukanga called for a reconciliation of ZRL equipment and infrastructure to establish the extent of alleged plunder.
The latest Auditor General’s report on accounts of parastatals had revealed that more than 1,510 wagons valued at K31.4million, among other assets belonging to ZRL, had gone missing following the termination of the concession agreement between Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) and ZRL in September 2012.
Mr Mukanga said the reconciliation of ZRL assets would go a long way for Government to understand the extent of the problem.
He said Government had appointed a committee to establish the truth about the missing ZRL wagons and other assets.