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The State has discontinued proceedings in a case in which former Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Fredson Yamba, and four others were facing five charges of failure to comply with laid down procedures related to the FTJ Chiluba University.
Yamba, who served in the previous Patriotic Front government under Edgar Lungu, was jointly charged with former Ministry of Higher Education Permanent Secretary, Owen Mugemezulu, and former Ministry of Education employees, Joseph Nthele, Joseph Phiri, and Joseph Ngulube.
The five had pleaded not guilty to the charges before Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Davies Chibwili in 2022.
When the matter came up for continuation of trial, the court was informed that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Gilbert Phiri, had terminated the proceedings against the five.
In count one, it was alleged that Yamba, between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, being Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance, willfully failed to comply with the applicable law or procedure relating to the management of funds.
He was accused of authorising an advance payment of US$33,750,000 to China Energy Engineering Group-Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd for the construction of FTJ Chiluba University under the Ministry of Higher Education.
In the second count, it was alleged that Mugemezulu, between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017, being Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education, willfully failed to comply with the applicable law or procedure relating to procurement by entering into a contract with China Energy Engineering Group-Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd.
The contract was worth US$225,000,000 for the design and building of FTJ Chiluba University, without subjecting the said contract to the Zambia Public Procurement Authority for approval.
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