Maravi

Mulando urges civil servants to stop stealing public funds

Mulando urges civil servants to stop stealing public funds
By Mulimbi Mulaliki in Solwezi
Sunday February 03, 2008 [03:00]

NORTH Western Province Permanent Secretary Jeston Mulando has urged civil servants in the province to stop stealing public funds entrusted to them for developmental projects. Speaking when he inspected the newly built Auditor General’s offices in Solwezi, Mulando said as a controlling officer, he was not ready to protect any civil servants who abused public funds. He commended Auditor General Anna Chifungula for decentralising operations of her office to provinces.

Mulando said the Auditor General’s decision to start its work by auditing councils in the province would create and enforce accountability in the local authorities.

“Local authorities in the past have had the habit of diverting funds allocated to them by government for something else,” Mulando said.

Mulando disclosed that four Immigration officers had been suspended for theft by public servants involving millions of kwacha.

He said he was disappointed with a senior official at Immigration headquarters who told him that he should not suspend the officers because of inadequate staffing in the department.

“Should I fail to discipline someone who has stolen because the boarder would be closed? I don’t think that is my problem, these officers admitted to have stolen and one of them has already paid back the money which he stole,” he said.
Mulando assured officers of the Auditor General’s Office of his support to do their work professionally.

“I was a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from 1996 to 1999 when I was member of parliament, I don’t want to be put on the firing line by erring officials. You will have my maximum support as you audit these government departments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mulando expressed disappointment with officials at the Ministry of Works and Supply who have certified construction works of Solwezi Nursing School hostels as complete when the buildings were still under construction.

“How did this officer issue the certificate when the buildings are still under construction which the contractor has abandoned? My office has no contracts papers, Bill of Quantity, but this officer in Lusaka has been certifying work and the Ministry of Health has been paying when we don’t have the documents here?” he said.

Labels: ANNA CHIFUNGULA, CIVIL SERVANTS, CORRUPTION, DECENTRALIZATION, NORTHWESTERN PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 2:49 PM