Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested former Southern Province Permanent Secretary Sibanze Simuchoba and 13 other officials at the Provincial Administration for Willful Failure to Follow Procedure and Fraudulent False Accounting involving over K623, 000 contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
In a statement obtained by Q-news, ACC Corporate Affairs officer Jonathan Siame says Mr Simuchoba, 66, of House No. 19 Ngwerere Road, Roma, Lusaka has been arrested together with Enoce Kashweka, 57 a former Principle Accountant, and Linda Siwale, a Chief Planner at the Choma Provincial Administration who have been jointly charged with One Count of Willful Failure to Follow Procedure contrary to Section 34 (2)(b) of the Anti corruption Act No. 3 of 2012.
Mr Siame says this is in a matter in which the trio willfully failed to follow applicable procedure in the manner they authorized transfer of funds from a named Account without written approval from the Secretary to the Treasury.
He says Mr Simuchoba and Mr Kashweka have further been charged with another Count of Willful Failure to Follow Procedure involving a matter in which the duo failed to follow applicable procedure in the manner they authorized transfer of funds from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Relief Account to another Account without written approval from the Secretary to the Treasury.
Mr Siame adds that 11 other officials from the Choma Provincial Administration and various Ministries have been arrested for fraudulent false accounting contrary to Section 326 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
He says the 11 have each been charged with One Count of Fraudulent false accounting for falsifying retirement entries of various amounts of money paid as imprest, purporting to have travelled to various Districts in Southern Province when they did not in fact travel, a matter which concerns the provincial Administration, a public body.