By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has instituted investigations in the procurement process of fertiliser under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
The commission has also concluded investigations into events surrounding the hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly which was jointly held by Zambia and Zimbabwe last year.
ACC public relations manager Timothy Moono said this during the end-of-year, 2013 media briefing in Lusaka yesterday where he also disclosed that last year, the commission received 1,987 corruption reports as compared to 2,337 cases in 2012.
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr Moono said in the interim, the ACC was investigating the whole fertiliser procurement process, among them was the procurement process under FISP.
“We are investigating that case and investigations are ongoing. We are actually investigating the process of procurement. How was that procurement done? We are investigating the process, what happened in that process? So we want to establish what went on.
“Not until we conclude our investigations, will we have a sense of direction on what happens next,” Mr Moono said.
On corruption prevention activities conducted during the last quarter of 2013, Mr Moono cited one of them as continued conducting of Integrity Checks to verify the quality of Basal and Top Dressing fertilisers and seed under the FISP.
He said samples of those agricultural inputs had been collected from most of the provinces countrywide and were being tested at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute for fertiliser and the Seed Control and Certification Institute for seed.
“The aim of the Integrity Checks is to ensure that the seed and fertilisers which are given to farmers meet the recommended specifications of the Zambian Government and hence assist to provide food security to the Zambian people,” he said.
On allegations of illegalities in the tendering process during the 2013 UNWTO, Mr Moono said the ACC had concluded investigations and handed over the findings to its legal department to get a legal position before proceeding with the matter.
On the cancelled Digital Migration tender, Mr Moono said investigations were ongoing and had reached an advanced stage.
Similarly, on sacked former Labour Deputy Minister Ronald Chitotela and his Agriculture and Livestock counterpart Rogers Mwewa, the commission had made steady progress in the investigations into their alleged illegal activities in the procurement of vehicles using the Constituency Development Funds.
Mr Moono said investigations into three nullified by-elections were also ongoing, adding that the commission believed that candidates whose elections were nullified on grounds of electoral corruption should not be allowed to re-contest their seats for five years as per Electoral Act requirement.
