Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested 14 former and current government officials for offences related to corruption.
ACC said in a statement on Thursday that the 14 arrested include a former Southern province Permanent Secretary, Sibanze Simuchoba.
It stated that the Permanent Secretary (PS) and two other officials were arrested for failure to follow applicable procedures in the manner they authorised transfer of funds without the approval of the secretary to the Treasury.
The statement added that 11 other officials from Choma district were arrested for fraudulent false accounting.
The 14 are expected to appear in court on November 3.
Despite several steps taken by the previous government to fight corruption in Zambia, there has not been a dramatic improvement in the public perception of anti-corruption efforts over the past years. Corruption still remains pervasive in the country, yet the situation is considered relatively better when compared to other countries in the region.
