PASSPORTS SHOCKER

…Over 2500 passports were issued without payment

OVER 2,500 Zambian passports were issued without payment by the passport office under the Ministry of Home Affairs last year alone, resulting in government losing about K912, 880 in revenue, the Auditor General report has revealed.

The report indicates that a comparison of the passport file for all ordinary passports produced against the payments received at Indo Zambia Bank carried out in August 2017, revealed that 2,795 passports that were produced did not have corresponding records on the bank file.

The AG report states that there was a risk that Government could have lost K912, 880 in revenue.

In Lusaka alone, about 1098 passports were issued without payment resulting in K361, 960 loss to government.

The Ndola office incurred a loss of K487, 920 after it issued about 1506 passports without payment.

The report also indicates that 191 passports were produced without payment at the Livingstone passport office resulting in a loss of K63, 000.

“A comparison of the passport file for all ordinary passports produced against the payments received at Indo Zambia Bank carried out in August 2017, revealed that 2,795 passports that were produced did not have corresponding records on the bank file. There was a risk that Government could have lost K912, 880 in revenue,” the report reads in part.

Meanwhile, the AG report also indicates that during the period under review, 648 passports were processed at 5 stations from which the expected revenue of K228,520 was to be realised, but that only an amount of K75,770 was received resulting in an under collection of K152,750.

According to the report, K39, 040 was expected from Lusaka but that only K20, 020 was collected, K9,380 was expected from Ndola where K3,560 was collected, K133,580 was expected from Livingstone buy only K42,490 was collected.

Others include Kabwe station where K2, 140 was collected instead of 8, 960 and K37, 560 was expected from Chipata were only K7, 560 was collected.