ADD leader Charles Milupi says the Anti-Corruption Commission’s decision to reopen investigations into the infamous $42 million fire engines is too little too late.

In an interview, Milupi observed that the ACC should have moved in immediately people raised alarm on the disparity between the cost and the delivered fire trucks.

“The story that the Anti Corruption Commission have at long last decided to investigate the issue of the 42 fire tenders which each cost US$1 million is long overdue. Their silence on the matter was too loud. ACC is there to protect the Zambian people and the Zambian resources. For them now to say that they are going to investigate whether these fire tenders were really worth US$1 million is late and shows that they are not serious with their work. This they should have done a long time ago because ever since the story broke out the Zambian people have expressed their views on this matter. Nobody believed that those fire tenders are US$1 million each. In fact in this country on the Copperbelt itself, the mining companies have bought similar Scania fire tenders and the ones that we know of are in the range of US$250,000. I think Mopani has Scania fire tenders, Copperbelt energy has Scania fire tenders, in fact better than the ones which were bought,” Milupi said.

“The fact that we hear that they have actually been insured for US$250,000 adds further credence to the fact that something fishy has gone on. Why buy something for US$1 million and insure it for US$250, 000? It means that insurance companies understand the value of those things. They cannot insure it for more than their worth. We ask that ACC acts with haste because they are there to protect the resources of Zambia. They should have done this long time ago but obviously they now know that this matter has reached such proportion that they can longer keep quiet if they are supposed to continue calling themselves Anti Corruption Commission for this country.”

Milupi said it was time for the ACC to be on its toes as there was too much corruption going on.

“The other issue of the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way, a difference of 321 km, government is saying that they are going to issue this at the cost of US$1.2 billion. Already there is a story that in Kenya a dual carriage way longer than the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way, 500 km is costing half of what the Zambian government wants to pay. These are serious matters and we are paying money as a country. The anti corruption really need to be on their toes. If they do their job, they will save this country’s fortune. It is not only that, the ambulances that again someone is try to spend US$288, 000 when we know what ambulances look like. They [ACC] should move in quickly and not be used for political purposes,” said Milupi.