THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested a Quantity Surveyor in the construction of the FTJ University for fraudulent facilitation of payment valued at $29,186,169.09.

And Joseph Ngulube has been jointly charged with Joseph Phiri, an Architect at the ministry of higher education, who was recently arrested for a similar offence.

In a statement, Monday, ACC chief corporate affairs officer Timothy Moono said Ngulube had since been detained at Ridgeway Police Station and would appear in court on Tuesday.

“The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested Joseph Ngulube, Quantity Surveyor in the construction of the FTJ University for fraudulent facilitation of payment. Mr. Ngulube, 53 of Lusaka has been arrested and charged with one count of fraudulent facilitation of payment contrary to section 34 (2) (a) as read together with section 40(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act No.3 of 2012. Mr. Ngulube, being a Quantity Surveyor at the Ministry of General Education and part of the Project Management team for the construction of FTJ Chiluba University, did attempt to fraudulently facilitate a payment to China Energy Engineering Group–Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd by signing and issuing an Interim Payment Certificate No. 2 valued at US$ 29,186,169.09 with an inflated sum of US$7,578,772.41 for goods purportedly supplied when in fact not,” said Moono.

“Mr Ngulube has been jointly charged with Joseph Phiri an Architect at the Ministry of Higher Education, who was recently arrested for a similar offence. Mr Ngulube has since been detained at Ridgeway Police Station and will appear in Court tomorrow. In this matter involving the construction of the FTJ University, the Commission has also arrested former Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba and two former Permanent Secretaries at the Ministry of Higher Education Mr Owen Mgemezulu and Dr Nkanza.”