Government is more corrupt than private sector – ACC

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in Southern Province has disclosed that there are more corruption cases reported from government institutions than from the private sector.

On Tuesday last week, two officers from the department of social welfare in Choma district were sentenced to Nine months imprisonment for corrupt practices.

ACC Southern Province Regional Manager Mweemba Mwape said corruption is rampant in the province as it is anywhere in the country.Mwape said going by the complaints her office receives, corruption is more prevalent in the public sector.

She however complained that lack of establishment of the institutional offices in the districts other than the Provincial offices has brought about the challenges of pursuing some cases of corruption.And speaking on the same programme, ACC Acting Senior Community Education Officer for Southern Province Chiko Halwiindi said Zambia can only be corrupt free when people regulate their self – centeredness.

Halwiindi said at the moment, it is difficult to end corruption as long as people are not willing to work towards eradicating the vice starting with themselves because it requires concerted efforts from everyone.

On 24th January,2016 two male officers from the department of social welfare were sentenced to Nine months imprisonment for corrupt practices.

Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Chinkashi Chilingala, Mecksom Machilika, 40 and Daniel Mwaba, 39 both employees of the Social welfare department have been sentenced to 9 months imprisonment on three counts for corrupt practices contrary to section 19 (1) of the Anti Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012.ACC Regional Manager Mweemba Haninga Mwape confirmed the sentencing to the media.

In the first count, particulars of the offence are that Meckson Machilika and Daniel Mwaba on dates unknown but between 1st April and 31st May, 2014 being public officers employed as District Social Welfare Officers respectively in Choma jointly and whilst acting together did corruptly solicit and recieve a sum of K1,500 cash gratification from a woman whose name has been withheld as inducement for processing a loan of K4000 from the social protection fund, a matter that concerns the department of the social welfare.

In the second count the duo did corruptly solicit and recieved K1,500 cash gratification from another person as inducement

for processing a loan of K3,500 and in the third count they recieved K750 cash gratification from another person as inducement for processing a loan of K2,500 from the Social Protection Fund.