By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Stealing Exhibits- When enforcement agencies become looters
Both the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers have recently been accused of stealing exhibits-money seized during operations and to be secured and kept as exhibits during prosecution.
In the Gold Scandal that occurred at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, the owner stated that he had $7.7million (earlier reports indicated a sum of $11million) cash but DEC declared $5.7million only to the public.
Below are some of the cases were the exhibits have disappeared.
In September 2022, the ACC arrested two Turkish businessmen who attempted to Smuggle $400,000 out of Zambia through Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.
Details were that on unknown dates but between 1st January 2022 and 2nd September 2022 in Lusaka District, Hakki Sahutoglu, 38, being a Director of Denniz Company Limited and Sezer Sahutoglu 23, being a manager at the same company whilst acting together with persons unknown did possess and conceal an amount of USD 399,500.00 reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime contrary to section 71 (i) of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010.
The duo has were released on Bond and will appear in Court on 28th September, 2022.
The case has never been prosecuted and the confiscated money has never been deposited in the forfeiture account or Control 99.
Further in 2022, ACC recovered K1 million at Stay Easy Levy Shopping Mall in an operation of a foiled bribery attempt involving ZRA and Opmin, a Peruvian owned company based on the Copperbelt.
Their consultant was a Zambian, Peter Samboko was arrested and detained but later released on agreement that he forfeits the said money.
That money was never remitted to the national treasury but was alleged shared amongst the directors after firing and in some cases transferring the case officers.
Dr. O’Brien Kaaba wrote an expose letter that detailed the looting of public funds taking place at the Anti-Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission, State Chambers (Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions with selected judges).