Joint probe team broadens investigations in Zambian Airways operations

Joint probe team broadens investigations in Zambian Airways operations
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe

THE joint investigations team on the operations of Zambian Airways yesterday said the scope of the investigations has been broadened and have denied hitting a snag.

And Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) acting director general Rosewin Wandi said investigations into the K10 billion scam at Ministry of Health were still going on and would now involve the Zambia Police and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).At a joint press briefing by the Police, ACC and DEC, Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde refuted assertions that investigations had hit a snag.

Kabonde said it was also not correct to hold the view that Zambia Police Service and its officers were the only ones conducting investigations into the operations of Zambian Airways and yet there were other officers from the ACC and DEC conducting joint investigations.He said the fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had advised the joint investigations team on certain issues did not imply that the matter had been halted.

"It is common practice that the DPP is consulted on various legal opinions before official arrests are effected in order to remove points of ambiguity and consolidate evidence against suspects," he said.Kabonde said the Zambia Police, ACC and DEC still remained committed to ensuring that every case being handled by their officers was thoroughly investigated within the context of professionalism, justice and fair play.He said it was not correct to say that investigations in the operations of Zambian Airways had hit a snag because the matter was still being probed by the three law enforcement agencies.

Kabonde also said it was not one matter that was being investigated on Zambian Airways.Recently, the joint investigations team announced that it had concluded the first phase of investigations into the operations of Zambian Airways and had forwarded the docket to the office of the DPP for further consideration.Kabonde explained that the first phase had to do with passenger fees that were supposed to have been remitted to the National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL).

But a police source last week said police officers investigating the Zambian Airways affairs had now gone for Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ) officials whom they want to charge with abuse of office for allegedly failing to comply with board instructions on the airline.

The source said investigations on Zambian Airways had hit a snag.And Wandi said the investigations at the Ministry of Health were still going on and had broadened to include other aspects. "And in broadening the inquiry, we shall also be involving our colleagues from DEC and Zambia Police because of other aspects that have come to the fore," she said.On the concern that the ACC rushed to the media before concluding its investigations, Wandi said the public needed to know about the matter."They are not a secret so to say because abuse of public funds have been in the media even before this.

As the enquiry was progressing, information came to us that some of the assets, some suspects were hiding them so it was necessary to inform the public on what was going on," Wandi said "And as a result of that media briefing, the ACC has benefited as members of the pubic have come forward with further information linked to that enquiry which will prove that even more assets are likely to be exposed that were obtained through corrupt practices at the Ministry of Health."Kabonde said it was difficult to give a timeframe when investigating any matter."When a case is reported, what is supposed to be done is to investigate.

You cannot give a timeframe, for instance these cases happened over a long period of time," he said.Kabonde said in most cases suspected criminals buried their activities over a period of time."So you cannot investigate and conclude investigations in a shortest possible time for crimes that were committed two or three years maximum. The cases in point, what we are doing for Zambian Airways and the Ministry of Health started long time ago. We need to bring in a lot of things, look at the accounts being used, go to the bank and it takes a bit of time," Kabonde said.

"You are aware of cases in Zambia taking three or four years investigations, you cannot give a timeframe but what is important is to know that at one time we will reach there. Investigations means finding out the truth, it doesn't mean when you are investigating then you are taking someone to court, no. It means finding out whether the allegations are true or not. That's the meaning so it's very difficult to give a timeframe.

"Last week, the ACC unearthed a corruption scam in which over K10 billion government funds were suspected to have been corruptly obtained from the Ministry of Health.