‘PROBE AUDITOR GENERAL’S OFFICE’

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu should consider establishing a commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged professional misconduct by some officers serving in the Auditor General’s Office, Rainbow Party has maintained. In an interview, Rainbow Party Luapula Province chairman, Reverend Bernard Chiwele warned that President Lungu should not take lightly revelations that the Auditor General’s Office had allegedly connived with the opposition to discredit government with fake audit reports because it would backfire on him in future. “We are still waiting for answers. The people of Zambia must be told the truth about the operations of the Auditor General’s Office. If the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is reluctant to follow up the matter, let the Head of State appoint a commission of enquiry to clear the air. There are a lot of speculations surrounding the operations of the Auditor General’s Office, including abuse of authority of office, lack of transparency and reckless usage of public funds,” he said. Rev Chiwele said until the Auditor General’s Office is investigated and cleared, the integrity of the institution would remain questionable. “It’s not witch-hunt, it’s about restoring integrity in public institutions like Auditor General’s Office. Something is not just right at the institution,” said Rev Chiwele. And Rev Chiwele said the justification which the Auditor General’s Office provided over the alleged abuse of public resources was feeble. The Auditor General’s Office issued a defensive statement to tabloids to discredit the Daily Nation after the newspaper exposed the institution’s alleged reckless spending of public funds. But Rev Chiwele described the manoeuvres of the Auditor General’s Office as laughable. “There is no smoke without fire. The people of Zambia just want the Auditor General’s Office to be audited that’s all. Because we have never heard at any given time that they have produced a report on how the institution manages public funds. “All they do is just to go round the world getting allowances while painting other government institutions black. This is hypocrisy at its best,” said Rev Chiwele.