State Counsel Musa Mwenye, who misbehaved during the UPND’s attempt to oust former Auditor General Dr. Dick Sichembe, should not view himself as a hero following his dismissal from the ACC Board.
Lusaka, July 24 – By Mpandashalo Mwewa, Managing Editor.
TOPLINE: The Auditor General’s office blew the whistle with a management letter that laid bare serious allegations of corrupt activities by officers of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). State Counsel Musa Mwenye, the ACC Board Chairperson at the time, leaped to the ACC’s defense, brushing off the corruption claims and lambasting the media coverage, thereby turning a blind eye to the grave concerns raised. How can he today turn around and claim not to be part of the ACC rot?
KEY POINTS
◾University of Zambia lecturer and ACC Commissioner, Dr. O’Brien Kaaba, has exposed deep rooted looting of the treasury with the participation of State Chambers nestled and facilitated by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
◾Musa Mwenye has sought to distance himself from the corruption at the ACC when he had ignored the Auditor General’s Management Letter. Instead of addressing the corruption highlighted in the management letter, his ACC targeted the Auditor General’s office with searches, harassment, and confiscations.
◾Musa Mwenye has claimed that after nearly three years, there should have been arrests and dismissals of negligent officials. Despite being sidelined and denied information for a year, he and the ACC Board pressed for comprehensive action against corruption, emphasizing that tackling corruption requires addressing all instances, past and present.
◾Musa Mwenye has also stated that all public servants, including the Head of State, must demonstrate transparency in their financial dealings and be prepared to declare their assets and explain their acquisitions.
◾Under Musa Mwenye’s ACC Board chairmanship, Auditor General Dr. Dick Sichembe was forced to resign amid pressure from State House to sanitize reports of corruption, including the US$50 million Alpha Commodity fertilizer scandal and President Hichilema’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr. Bradford Machila’s US$250,000 per diem. Sichembe had begun auditing these issues before his dismissal.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“The reason for these actions is apparent: it relates to the audits of the Ministry of Defence, Alpha Commodities’ fertilizer dealings at the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Teachers’ recruitment program. These matters were to be included in the September 2023 Auditor General’s report to Parliament, which I was set to sign. While I was coerced into resignation, the paper trail will one day expose the truth and ensure accountability!” – Dr. Dick Sichembe.
BACKGROUND
In December last year, University of Zambia lecturer and ACC Commissioner, Dr. O’Brien Kaaba, co-authored an article entitled, “Consent judgements: It’s fraud and corruption!” The authors observed with bewilderment and disbelief several consent orders entered into between the State Chambers and various individuals involving huge sums of money. Although some appeared well deserving, in a number these cases, there was either no sound legal justification for the settlements or the awards and the legal costs were grossly inflated. For example, in the case of Kaizar Zulu, it was clear he was not acting on behalf of the State and there was no moral or legal justification whatsoever for the State to compensate those he injured in his private capacity. It would appear that someone in the State Chambers was fishing for such cases for personal gain, and that was corruption. Despite clear revelations in the article, the ACC did nothing.
Following the State House formal statement released On July 10, 2024 meant to address the scandalous revelations by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) 2023 Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Report, Dr. O’Brien Kaaba followed up his December article with a very disturbing statement that resulted in the resignation of the ACC Director General and President Hichilema dissolving the ACC Board Mr. Musa Mwenye was chairing.
Dr. Kaaba stated that the lack of action by the ACC and other law enforcement agencies suggested either incompetence or potential compromise within the management of these institutions, resulting in the neglect of serious corruption cases.
“Either way, simply urging them to investigate cases thoroughly will likely yield nothing substantial. There is need for drastic action by the President at many levels. Urging action by law enforcement agencies is not enough,” read, in part Dr. O’Brien Kaaba’s statement.
OUR COMMENTARY
Mr. Musa Mwenye, SC, missed multiple opportunities to prove himself as the knight in shining armor he claims to be by failing to uphold the truth outlined in the Auditor General’s Management Letter. In a December article titled “Consent Judgements: It’s Fraud and Corruption!”, Prof. Muna Ndulo and Dr. O’Brien Kaaba highlighted critical issues that should have caught the attention of Mr. Mwenye, given his role as Chairperson of the ACC Board. It is evident that Musa Mwenye chaired a corrupt Commission and did nothing to halt the pervasive misconduct, only speaking out after his dismissal.
FURTHER READING
◾Dr. O’Brien Kaaba Exposes Ongoing Deep-Rooted Treasury Corruption Involving State Chambers! | 𝐖𝐃®
◾Institutionalised regionalism and corruption force Auditor General out! | 𝐖𝐃®
◾Hakainde Hichilema’s facade of fighting corruption in Zambia is slipping | Mail&Guardian
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