Maravi

DEC denies victimising officers

DEC denies victimising officers
By Noel Sichalwe and Amos Malupenga
Tuesday July 31, 2007 [04:00]

DRUG Enforcement Commission (DEC) spokesperson Rosten Chulu has said the Commission does not believe in victimisation of its officers. And Evangelical Youth Alliance International president Reverend Moses Lungu said DEC officers claiming to be victimised by the command were the ones in the wrong because they had betrayed the true whistle-blowers and were now trying to escape the consequences of their misconduct.

Commenting on financial scandals allegedly committed by DEC commissioner Ryan Chitoba and his deputy which are being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Chulu said the current DEC high command - unlike the previous one - did not believe in victimisation of officers who were until now some of the most disciplined and professional law enforcement officers in the country.

He said in the past two years, DEC had been spreading its tentacles from provinces to districts in Luangwa, Mpika, Zambezi, Mwinilunga, Sesheke, Kabompo, Kasempa, Kalabo, Nchelenge and Lundazi in order to have its presence at the district level and to adequately curb the perennial problem of cannabis cultivation at the source.

“It is unthinkable to imagine that an officer can be demoted seven ranks down for the structure does have those many positions. No ten officers have ever been demoted by Commissioner Chitoba,” Chulu said. “I, therefore, challenge the author of the article to learn to be factual in his reporting and state the positions that were skipped as the exaggerated article is aimed at discrediting DEC high command and tarnish the good image and integrity of the Commission. Unlike previously when officers were dismissed summarily without exculpating themselves through the staff board, this has never been the case under this current command.”

But in a letter dated July 16, 2007 with reference: ‘Reduction in rank: yourself’, addressed to Jacqueline Chisi, Chitoba stated that the staff board recommended that she should be demoted from the rank of senior human resource management officer GSS7 to clerical officer GSS14.
“This is to be done in order to instil and maintain discipline in the Commission,” Chitoba stated.

However, many DEC workers have wondered why most officers being transferred were from Lusaka Province as compared to other areas.

But Chulu said DEC, like any other department, had procedures which were followed before an officer could be disciplined. Chulu said narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances Act CAP 96 of the Laws of Zambia rule number 11 stated that, “No officer of the Commission, special agent or any other person shall publish or disclose to any unauthorised person, otherwise than in the exercise of his official functions or duties, the contents of any document, report, communication or information whatsoever which has come to his notice in the course of his duties in the Commission.

“The provisions of General Orders (69) to 76 of the 1990 edition shall apply to officers of the Commission, including special agents recruited or appointed under these Rules. Any officer who contravenes sub-rule (1) or (2) shall be deemed to have committed an offence under the state security Act and accordingly, shall be guilty of gross or discreditable conduct for which that officer may be dismissed or prosecuted before a court of law.”

Chulu said the maintenance of high standards of discipline in DEC or bringing to book illicit drug and money laundering criminals had earned the Commission unpopularity in some circles especially the open praise that DEC had received. He said this would not derail DEC’s focus as the allegations were bent on destroying the good work of the Commission with the 100 per cent score of success from January to date in terms of prosecution being their core mandate.

“If there are any allegations, such are welcome and must be done professionally without any prejudice through running commentaries in the media until after thorough investigations are concluded and determined by the prescribed authorities,” said Chulu.
ACC director general Nixon Banda expressed worry at the manner DEC was transferring employees suspected to be whistle-blowers in the abuse of authority of office scandal. He also officially confirmed that ACC is investigating Chitoba and his deputy Jacob Koyi for abuse of office.

Sources have confirmed that Chitoba has transferred and demoted about 10 officers suspected to have leaked information relating to financial scandals surrounding DEC.
And Rev Moses Lungu said his organisation was worried with the happenings at DEC because so far there was an attempt by some officers to hide the truth. He said their investigations have revealed that officers claiming to be victimised as whistle blowers were actually suspects of some offences which they now wanted to hide.

“Our organisation has a deliberate policy to support the government of the day, so we take particular interest in the activities of the government of the day,” Rev Lungu said. “These DEC officers claiming to be whistle blowers have actually been trading in information. They are the ones who have betrayed the actual whistle-blowers. I want to challenge these officers, including Nason Banda to say the truth about this whole issue. Nason is just a frustrated man who is causing a lot of problems. I hear that the police have even recorded a warn and caution statement from him”

Rev Lungu also accused the ACC of not conducting itself professionally on a number of cases they were investigating or ought to investigate.

“In fact, I challenge Nixon Banda to resign on moral grounds,” Rev Lungu said. “In the current scenario, we should not expect a lot of progressive things to come out of the ACC. Even Transparency International Zambia is not being transparent in this issue to do with Chitoba; we know the manoeuvrings that have been taking place.”

Rev Lungu said allegations of nepotism would not stick against Chitoba because facts were there to speak for themselves as most DEC employees were from Western and Eastern provinces. He said there were a lot of people working against Chitoba, including some senior MMD official whose relative was transferred after he committed a serious offence.

“People commenting on this matter should not be one-sided because I know that the Auditor General has cleared Mr Chitoba and DEC,” Rev Lungu said. “We should also remind ourselves that plunderers have regrouped and they will do everything to destabilise institutions that are running well like the DEC.”

Labels: ACC, DEC, RYAN CHITOBA

posted by MrK @ 4:10 AM