Police urged to quickly arrest NGO’s involved in the misappropriation of donor funds

Antonio Mwanza – FDD Spokesperson

The Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has called on the Zambia Police to quickly move in and arrest and prosecute officials from YALI, SACCORD and FODEP involved in the theft and misappropriation of donor funds amounting to US$1.9 million meant for monitoring the 2016 general election.

FDD Deputy National Secretary and Party Spokesperson Antonio Mwanza has noted with sadness that the very institutions that ought to be the moral arbiters in spearheading transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs are themselves in the forefront of abusing and misappropriating donor money.

Mr. Mwanza laments that instead of focusing on ensuring that the necessary institutional and legislative frameworks are reformed in order to enhance good governance, those posing as Civil Society leaders are busy writing project proposals in order to siphon donor money.

He says it is repulsive that people are now using the church, the civil society and politics to amass wealth at the expense of the majority.

Mr Mwanza states that the fate of those involved in the misappropriation of donor money must serve as a deterrent to others with sticky fingers that crime does not pay.

The 1.9 million United States Dollars believed to have been misappropriated is part of the $3.5 million grant given to the three CSOs from UKAid through the British Council under the project dubbed “Zambia Accountability Project (ZAP)”a project meant to enhance transparency, free and fair elections in 2016.