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50 % of supply claims to defence, home affairs ministries fake - DEC

50 % of supply claims to defence, home affairs ministries fake - DEC
By Ernest Chanda
Wed 30 June 2010, 04:01 CAT

ABOUT 50 per cent of claims of supply of goods and services to government departments from January to June have been discovered to be fake, the Anti money laundering unit of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has revealed.

DEC public relations manager John Nyawali has disclosed that the discovery was made in the on-going verification exercise of outstanding bills for the ministries of defence and home affairs.

Nyawali said the verification exercise which was being conducted by the Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) of the DEC was prompted by huge bills of claims of supply of goods and services to government.

He said 381 claims out of a total of 681 which were scrutinised for the period covering first half of this year were discovered to be fake.

Nyawali said the Prisons Service in Southern Province was highly affected accounting for about K1 billion while Zambia Army in Lusaka had over K800 million of fake claims.

He named other departments whose claims of supply of goods and services were scrutinised as the provincial administrations, Immigration, Zambia Air Force and the Passport office.

Nyawali said the Commission had since recommended to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to block payments for the fake claims and other claims which were not supported by necessary documents.

He has since warned unscrupulous suppliers and government workers who were dubiously obtaining money from government that they would be brought to justice soon.

Nyawali said the verification exercise would be extended to the ministries of Education and Health to ensure that government did not continue losing money through fake claims.

Labels: CORRUPTION, DEC, JOHN NYAWALI, PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS

posted by MrK @ 6:13 AM