ACC lies!

By Daily Revelation Editor

In August 2024, Daily Revelation sent a press query to the acting ACC Director General, Monica Mwansa, over information that very senior officials in the MoF had been frustrating ACC investigations and that some MoF officials who had earlier been arrested over the MoF and Ministry of General Education (MoGE) had actually returned for work.

ACC spokesperson Timothy Moono claimed that the Commission had recommended the suspension of the 18 arrested officials and that “none of these officers have returned to work as they are serving suspensions.”

“No immunity has been granted to any of the arrested persons. Since this case has been in public domain and attracted public interest, the outcome of the investigations will be communicated in due course,” stated Moono, at that time.

But it has since been established that that is not the case, citing the officials who have continued serving despite having been among the 18 arrested.

Concerned officials have said this alone should put to rest questions about the credibility of an institution like the ACC which will go to the extent of lying about ‘non-existent’ investigations, and has been accused of engaging in child’s play over a serious national matter.

Indeed, what other way can one describe the actions of the commission, as this alone should also bring into question some of the investigations they claim they have been conducting, especially those involving senior government officials in the UPND administration.

This MoF saga has been treated in like manner as the investigations involving the ministers and other senior government officials, where investigations are carried out eternally without any tangible results in the end. In their ill-advised fashion, the ACC think they are being clever when churning out such lies to an intelligent audience which however seems content to just dismiss the lies, without following up in terms of demanding accountability from a state institution that is running away from discharging its function.

Given the happenings, it’s very difficult to actually deny the information that has been coming out that senior officials at MoF do not want to have this matter investigated with the risk that the same will bring out more information and put a key Ministry like finance in bad light with the public and the donor community. But even then, how will hiding information which is now coming out to public light help those tempering with the investigations? It’s like hiding a boil or even a pregnancy. You can hide the same for sometime but it will eventually show.

In a serious country and under a serious government, an institution such as the ACC would not actually be allowed to run away with such lies. It is especially saddening that the same is happening under a government that claims to fight corruption; past, present and future. It shows just how fake and questionable the whole fight is that an institution that is mandated to fight corruption is ready to lie with a straight face over a serious national matter involving alleged corruption in a key Ministry, that oversees the management of state resources. They have actually lied knowing full well that no one is going to call them to account. They have become familiar with how the whole system operates and are well aware that the fight against corruption is all pure hogwash, that it’s an exercise mainly aimed at getting at the corruption involving former government officials.

It’s seems they are under instruction not to investigate let alone prosecute any corruption in this present administration, so as to maintain a semblance that this is a corrupt free government inhabited by angels. This MoF, MoGE probe is another of those probes that will just end up in name, like the ministerial probes without any tangible outcome. We don’t have institutions in this country to fight corruption as they all serve at the mercy of the powerful in government.