Zambia's foreign missions misappropriating funds - Auditor General

Zambia's foreign missions misappropriating funds - Auditor General
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Monday, November 24, 2008 8:20:55 PM

AUDITOR General Anna Chifungula on Monday revealed that the audits of 14 foreign missions have showed persistent misappropriation and misapplication of public funds and other resources.

And the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has awarded Chifungula with the prestigious ACCA achievement award 2008 for Africa and Mideast region for her outstanding contribution to developing the accountancy and finance profession.

In an interview in Lusaka, Chifungula expressed worry about misappropriation and misapplication of public resources by personnel at Zambia's embassies and high commissions. "We have audited most of the foreign missions this year, of course we audited according to the money they have at their disposal," Chifungula said.

"We audited about 14 missions and still there are issues coming out from there which I cannot discuss now until the report comes out but most of them really are still showing the same levels of misappropriation, misapplication of funds and things like that. All of them will be in the report." Asked about the names of the foreign missions and amounts misappropriated and misapplied, Chifungula responded: "That I can't tell you until I tell my bosses."

Further asked if there were new measures put in place to discipline officers that mismanage public resources especially in foreign missions, Chifungula said she did not know about the disciplinary measures that had been put in place. "I don't know that there are some disciplinary measures put in place? I have not been informed about them.

I think it's the normal way of dealing with the report which is being done; which is we report, it goes to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and then from the PAC they report to the main House [Parliament] then from the main House a report finally goes to the Ministry of Finance [and National Planning]. It is at that place where punitive measures are carried out. That has not changed," Chifungula said. However, she said former secretary to the Treasury Evans Chibiliti, who is now deputy Secretary to the Cabinet in charge of finance, had put in place several financial management measures to try and seal some loopholes that were in existence.

"I hope that will be continued with the new team that is there," she said. Two months before his death, late president Levy Mwanawasa had warned that he would discipline personnel in Zambia's foreign missions who were mismanaging public resources.

Mwanawasa had said the preliminary audit report he had received revealed that there was high abuse of public resources in the missions. On her award, Chifungula said she was one of the five professional accountants to receive the ACCA achievements awards for 2008, each from a continent. "The Africa and Mideast one was presented to me and the inscription they put here reads: 'ACCA achievement awards 2008.

Anna Orlia Chifungula for her outstanding contribution to developing accountancy and finance profession,'" she said. "But on top of this a lot of other things were said for the office; our fight against corruption, our helping other auditing institutions in Africa to build up their audit departments, our involvement in the audit of the African Union and SADC.

All those came out as some of the issues that we have been involved in despite having only restructured in the last five years, they felt that was quiet a big achievement within a short time and required recognition." Chifungula said currently nine officers from her office were in Liberia. And deputy Auditor General Mwamaka Mulanga commended Chifungula on her achievement, saying it had led to the AG's office being recognized worldwide. He also urged the officers to study hard. "Funding for those who want to study is there," said Mulanga.