Publish social cash transfer probe report , says Chipimo

NATIONAL Restoration Party (NAREP) leader, Elias Chipimo has demanded the publication of the full report submitted to President Edgar Lungu on the investigations into financial irregularities involving social cash transfer scheme. Mr Chipimo also demanded the immediate prosecution of individuals alleged to have played a role in misapplying or misappropriation of the funds. He said in a statement that the recent events had highlighted the challenge the country had in dealing with theft, corruption, abuse of office, fraud and the misallocation or misappropriation of funds. Mr Chipimo said irregular transactions and credible allegations of theft and corruption by government officials and politicallyconnected individuals were routinely ignored until they became a topic of persistent public debate. He claimed that rarely would any serious inquiry or punitive action be undertaken, no matter how glaringly credible the allegations. “The time to change our pants has surely come. It should not take the efforts of outside governments to call out the messy situation in our own backyard. Sadly, we the people have also, it seems, become so accustomed to the smell, we hardly notice how bad it is and in doing so, have given rise to the impunity that allows our leaders to openly parade their mess without an ounce of either shame or regret,” he said. Mr Chipimo accused the current leadership of tolerating corruption and abuse of public resources by a few in government. And Mr Chpimo also demanded that action be taken in respect of all the cases highlighted in the 2017 Financial Intelligence Centre Report. He said action should start with the matter involving the procurement of 42 fire tenders that he says were worth less than $300,000 but were purchased at $1 million each.

Irregular transactions and credible allegations of theft and corruption by government officials and politicallyconnected individuals are routinely ignored until they become a topic of persistent public debate — Mr Chipimo