By Patson Chilemba
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director General Gilbert Phiri says he cannot indicate what direction the investigations against Dr George Magwende will take, when asked if the commission will do further investigations beyond the dismissed Health permanent secretary, over the US$100 million contract for Covid hospitals.
Asked by Daily Revelation if the investigations would only end with Dr Magwende given the arguments that realising public contracts was a complex process involving a wide range of people, including the ministers and even the President, and given that in Zambia, ministerial contracts were rarely done without the ministerial head (minister) okaying, and therefore the argument by some that Dr Magwende was being used as a sacrificial lamb, Phiri said it was difficult to talk about investigations as they were always wide ranging.
“But what we intend to do obviously is once we conclude, the extent and depth of the investigations will be known. So I cannot really indicate what direction it takes except that we cannot at this point preempt the depth of the investigations. But the public will know once we are done,” he said.
Asked on observations that the commission should have announced investigations against Dr Mwagwende before he was dismissed so that it does not appear like they were pandering to the dictates of the President and other senior government officials, Phiri said he appreciates the comments but the Important thing was that there was an inquiry going on, which the commission was already undertaking.
He said the rest were details as to whether someone should be summoned while in office or not, saying his leadership has only been in office for a month now and ordinarily they have not had any problem.
He said the ACC mandate was not just in prosecuting and investigating, but also in advising with regards to how to improve processes and to eliminate opportunities of corruption, saying the mandate was wider.
He said with regards what has happened to Dr Magwende, there was no impediment for it to happen while someone is in office or not in office, and that going forward if there is need to act while someone is in office there is no impediment that exists.
He said similarly there was no impediment to advising or directing that procedure and processes should be improved and that was something they were already doing.
