NOOSE AROUND GEORGE KUNDA’S ACTS OF ALLEGED GRAFT BEGINS TO TIGHTEN

Former Vice President, George Kunda, last year allegedly authorised the collection of taxes, as a national revenue mobilisation measure, without cabinet or parliamentary approval.

This was through statutory instrument number 101, which was conspicuously signed on 28^th August 2011, after both cabinet and parliament had been dissolved, by then President Rupiah Banda.

The respective piece of legislation was in replacement of statutory instrument number 54, which was earlier signed by then Finance Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, in connection with the Bradwell International contract with Zambia Revenue Authority.

This was in a contract, in which the UK-based company was engaged to operate and maintain the NUCTECH scanners procured for Zambia’s border posts.

According to the report of the commission of inquiry on ZRA’s operations and contracts, the act was both illegal and illegitimate, therefore its recommendation that Mr Kunda and others involved in the deal being probed.

The respective deal has also implicated the immediate past two ZRA commissioner-Generals, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, as well as some five officers in the Intelligence system.

According to the findings of the commission of inquiry, Bradwell International was awarded the said ZRA contract last year, with influence from the Ministry of Finance and some named five Zambia State and Intelligence System officers.

However, payments for the Bradwell contract were to be mobilised through the statutory instrument signed by Mr Kunda, which facilitated a K 360,000 levy for every truck passing the border post, with or without a scanner.

Conspicuously the levy was to be shared between the ZRA and Bradwell International on a 15 per cent and 85 per cent ratio, despite the earlier NUCTECH scanner supply deal having had an 8 million dollars component of operate and maintain, all within the total 25 million dollars contract.

And arising from this, the commission of inquiry discovered that a total of 12.3 billion kwacha had since accumulated in the Nigerian owned Access Bank, within a month of operation of Bradwell and effecting of the respective number 101 statutory instrument.

As a result of SI No. 101 the importers and exporters were made to pay K12.3

Billion Kwacha in 24 days out of which Bradwell International was to receive K10.4 billion while the Zambian Government through ZRA was to receive a paltry K1.9

billion as per sharing ratio.

Zambia Public Procurement Authority Director-General, Samuel Chibuye has also been implicated in the deal, through his act of granting a direct bidding on 14^th and 15^th February, 2011.

The commission of inquiry has since concluded and observed that statutory instrument number 101, signed by Mr Kunda was hidden in its formulation, as it did not give an inclination that the fees raised would be channelled to Bradwell International, a private company, for the operations and maintenance of scanners.