Former ZRA CG Kingsley Chanda convicted

The Lusaka Magistrates Court has convicted former Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda and former Director of Administration Callistus Kaoma for flouting procedures.

The two were facing 22 counts of wilful failure to comply with procedure relating to the manner they disposed of 22 used motor vehicles belonging to the commission.

The alleged offences were committed between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2020.

The two were sentenced to three years in prison.

Chanda argued that he acted within his constitutional mandate during his tenure and observed internal structures and board approvals for the vehicle disposal process.

He backed his claims with memos and a letter from the Treasury that gave green light to the disposal of obsolete vehicles.

Chanda asserted that the actual disposal of vehicles was handled by an independent interdepartmental Asset Disposal Committee (ADC), which was within its remit to carry out operational matters.

Chanda’s co-accused, Calistus Kaoma, testified that the Asset Disposal Policy presented by the prosecution as evidence was “falsified” and not in effect during the period in question (2017–2020).

Kaoma noted several inconsistencies, including the policy citing a 2018 law for disposals made in 2017.

Chanda highlighted ZRA’s rigorous audit framework, stating that the institution was subject to annual audits by internal and external auditors and that none of these audits raised queries about the vehicle disposals during his five-year tenure.

He denied allegations that some vehicles were used for political campaigns or that he had influenced sales to individuals connected to him, calling the claims unfounded.

However, Principal Resident Magistrate Sylvia Munyinya-Okoh went to to convict the accused and sentenced them to years in jail.