LUXURIOUS HELICOPTER WORTH $1.4 MILLION ALLEGEDLY LINKED TO PROCEEDS OF CRIME TRACED IN SOUTH AFRICA
By Tellah Hazinji
The Inter-Agency Cooperation on Asset Recovery has disclosed that a bigger luxurious helicopter, bell 430 valued at $1.4 million allegedly linked to proceeds of crime has been traced in South Africa.
This comes barely a week after a helicopter allegedly linked to proceeds of crime was retrieved from Zimbabwe.
Speaking during the signing ceremony of the Inter-Agency Coordination Framework Document in Lusaka today, Director of Public Prosecutions-DPP- Gilbert Phiri says the authority and the Drug Enforcement Commission travelled to Nelspruit, South Africa where they traced the helicopter and made a non-conviction based forfeiture application in the South African courts to have the suspected proceeds of crime repatriated to Zambia.
Mr. Phiri says the taskforce is currently awaiting a final order from the South African counterparts on the matter.
At the same event, Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe
says the fight against economic crimes and illicit financial flows needs concerted efforts among the criminal justice sector and other stakeholders to enhance efforts aimed at recovering stolen assets.
Meanwhile, the Community Action Against Corruption has warned that government’s continued use of the forfeiture of properties suspected of being proceeds of crime provision, rather than trial and conviction of those accused of looting and plundering the state, will allow corruption to become a safe practice for those in positions of power.
The Director of Public Prosecutions-DPP Gilbert Phiri recently filed four originating notices of motion for an application of a non-conviction-based forfeiture order of tainted property pursuant to order 30 rules 15 and 17 of the high court rules, read together with sections 29 and 31 of the forfeiture of proceeds of crime act no. 19 of 2010.
But Community Action Against Corruption Chief Executive Officer Brighton Tembo believes this is a weak approach to fighting corruption.
PHOENIX NEWS