ACC officer testifies in graft case

AN ANTI-CORRUPTION Commission (ACC) officer has testified that Zambia Law Development Commission (ZLDC) Director awarded a K60, 000 contract for law reforms consultancy services above the threshold of K50, 000 of a director at ZLDC.

This is in a case in which Hope Ndhlovu Chanda is charged with one count of corrupt acquisition of public services.

Chanda, 42, of Lusaka West is alleged to have between June 1, 2016 and June 31, 2017, in Lusaka, willfully failed to comply with laid down procedure by awarding a contract in the sum of K60, 000 to Chipo Mushota Nkhata for consultancy work in the Law Reform Audit (constitutional conformity). The matter or transaction which involved ZLDC, a public body.

Mr Christopher Siwakwi told the court that Chanda had no authority to procure a contract whose threshold was above K50, 000. Instead, she needed to request the Ministry of Justice procurement committee to do so.

Testifying before Magistrate, Greenwell Malumani, Mr Siwakwi said on January 30, 2017, the ACC received a complaint against ZLDC in the manner in which Chanda allegedly awarded contracts to firms and individuals.

He said during the investigations he found a file for Law Reform Audit and after analysis on the file he came across an advert placed by ZLDC seeking consultancy services to undertake a law reform audit (Constitutional conformity).

He said a further analysis revealed that four consultants expressed interest and Ms Nkhata was awarded the contract which Chanda signed.

Mr Siwakwi said the contract had a sum of K50, 000 but it had a clause where the consultant was to be paid an extra K10, 000 and that there was also a receipt dated May 31 2017 on the file from Ms Nkhata indicating that she was paid K60, 000 for the services she rendered.

He said after further investigations he established that ZLDC had no procurement committee and that the threshold for awarding contract for the director was K50, 000.

He said he established that the contract which Chanda awarded to Nkhata of K60, 000 was above her threshold as director of ZLDC and that she did not request the ministerial procurement committee of the Ministry of justice to procure the contract on behalf of ZLDC.

Trial continues on March 15, 2019.