sticky fingers

Zambia: Arrest of auditor general points to compromised system

By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe

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Posted on April 3, 2023 09:10

A man displays a 50,000 Kwacha note in Lusaka REUTERS/Mackson

The arrest of Zambia’s auditor general Dick Sichembe and 17 top treasury officials for siphoning public funds has raised fears about how deeply compromised the financial controls are for a country battling to rehabilitate donor confidence to shore up the debt restructuring process.

Sichembe and immediate-past secretary to the treasury Fredson Yamba headline the list of 18 senior treasury officials arrested for allegedly taking more than ZK500m ($24.8m) in fictitious payments orchestrated at the ministry of finance and beyond.

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