Zambia has halted a dodgy deal in which former senior government officials connived to defraud the government of $8,1-million, an official said.
Marck Chona, chairperson of the task force on corruption, said in a statement late on Thursday that some officials who served in a previous government had tried to pocket money by inflating debts that the state owed Fap Famas, a Belgrade-based firm.
”Clearly, some very senior officials who served in [the] ministry of finance and legal affairs as well as certain Zambian and foreign nationals are criminally liable and the task force is studying the next course of action,” Chona said.
Several senior officials who worked in the finance ministry, including a former minister, were this year arrested and charged with corruption involving $20-million for their role in payments to allegedly dubious contracts. — Sapa-AFP