The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) says it is investigating Road Safety and Transport Agency (RTSA) chief executive officer Zindaba Soko for money laundering.

And sources at DEC have disclosed to News Diggers that the Road Safety boss is being investigated for allegedly receiving a kickback from a private company that was awarded a tender to supply speed cameras.

Meanwhile DEC officers raided Soko’s house on Tuesday night and spent hours searching for undisclosed items.

Addressing journalists during the World Anti Drug Day at Lusaka International School, Wednesday, DEC Commissioner Alita Mbahwe confirmed that Soko had been summoned for questioning after which, a warn and caution statement was recorded, but not for drug related charges.

“We received a complaint against Mr Zindaba Soko just like any other member of the public. He is being given a chance to explain himself in terms of the allegations that have been levelled against him, We are doing investigations,” Mbahwe said.

Asked if it was a drug related matter, the DEC boss said the Commission was also responsible for investigating money laundering cases, adding that the raid on Soko’s house was normal.

“It’s not a drug related complaint. You will be informed in due course when we have done our investigations [on] what exactly we are investigating Mr Soko on. Right now, for those of you who have information that Mr Soko’s house was raided yesterday, it’s a normal thing during the course of our investigations. We will go and search anyone’s home if we feel that the evidence that we require is going to be found in that place. Remember Drug Enforcement Commission does not only deal with drugs. We also deal with money laundering issues,” said Mbahwe.

But sources who sought anonymity told News Diggers! that the RTSA boss had been implicated in the speed cameras tender after he allegedly received over US$100,000 (approximately over K1 million) into his bank account, which investigators suspect to have been gratification.

“There is that IMS company which you guys reported having been awarded a tender to supply speed cameras for RTSA. The issue is that in August 2017, about two months before that speed camera tender, the RTSA boss received money which was deposited by a top official from IMS into Mr Soko’s Stanbic bank account. Then two months later, the tender was awarded to this same company,” the source explained.

“It appears that money was used to buy some property and some of it was drawn cash. So the role of the investigation, really, is to get him to explain this money which is believed to have been received through corruption.”