Reports suggesting anti-graft agency pocketed over K65 million from recovered loot malicious

President Hakainde Hichilema has described as extremely malicious reports circulating on social media that K65 million recovered from the fight against corruption was consumed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Hichilema alleged that the intention of the article posted on social media was to divert attention from the agenda and cause distraction from the fight against corruption.

He said this during the official opening of the Indo Zambia Bank (IBZ) headquarters office in Lusaka on Tuesday.

“That money moved from ACC to the bank of Zambia, the Ministry of Finance ordered the bank and from there the money applied to students would have stopped school if that decision was not made,” Hichilema said.

Ministry of Finance and National Planning on Monday stated that in 2022, the ACC, on behalf of the government, opened two bank accounts through which forfeited assets would be deposited.

One account is for deposits in Zambian Kwacha and the other for deposits in United States Dollars.

“A handover ceremony of K65, 332, 446 million and US$ 57, 950 forfeited by Faith Musonda to the Anti-Corruption Commission, was held on February 23, 2022. At the event, the ACC, through the then Acting Director General (Commission Secretary) Ivor Mukwanka, handed over a symbolic cheque to the Minister of Finance.

“We are pleased to state that, combined with treasury funding, a total of K90.07 million was given to the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board in 2022, from which, two-thousand-seven-hundred and eighty (2, 780) students were awarded scholarships,” the ministry stated.

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