NGOCC has demanded a more decisive approach by the Anti-Corruption Commission in handling the 48 “magical” houses case.
And NGOCC has asked President Edgar Lungu to take decisive steps to root out corruption, especially that which occurs at high levels of our governance system.
In a statement, Wednesday, NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale stated that ACC should not leave Zambians in suspense.
“It would be unfortunate for the ACC to be viewed as abating a possible incident of crime in this regard and hence demanding for a more decisive approach to the matter. There is clearly no way that 48 housing units can acquire land, and build themselves without an owner or owners. It is not enough for a public interest body like the ACC to leave the public in suspense especially at this point in time when reports of corrupt tendencies in the public service are the order of the day. NGOCC therefore demands that a thorough investigation is carried out and the public should be informed of its outcome,” she stated.
Mwale noted that discontinuing the case on account of disability to track owners was an indictment on the ACC.
“The announcement by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that they had discontinued investigations on account of inability to track the owners of the housing units in question is unacceptable to the Zambian people. This is a serious indictment on our leaders in the ACC to ensure that transparency and accountability is upheld on matters of public resources. NGOCC wishes to call upon the ACC to take their mandate seriously by comprehensively fighting all forms of graft on behalf of the majority citizens,” stated Mwale
“It is a fact that corruption diverts public resources into the pockets of a few individuals advancing their self-interests, much to the detriment of the most vulnerable in society. This is also given that majority citizens are barely struggling to put food on the table and literally unable to meet the cost of other basic social services like quality health services, education requirements, clean water and sanitation facilities, among others.”
And Mwale called on President Lungu to exercise the needed leadership through decisively taking steps to root out corruption especially that which occurred at high levels of the governance system.
