The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflections (JCTR) has concluded that 46 out of every 100 financial transactions done in Zambia are suspicious of corruption, fraud and theft.
JCTR Media and Information Officer Alice Mapulanga says this is not good for the country’s sustainable development especially that the trends seem to be increasing.
Ms. Mapulanga tells Money FM news that investigative wings need to look into such matters as there is a direct link between the financial crimes and the current economic condition.
She says this following revelations from the Financial Intelligence Centre report which indicates that reported suspicious transactions have increased from 4.5 billion kwacha in 2017 to 6.1 billion Kwacha in 2018.
“This money could have addressed many economic and social challenges if it had been earned or spent in a transparent manner. K6.1 billion is almost three times the budgetary allocation of K2.2 billion to social protection in the 2018 national budget.” She says further explaining that “the increase in the abuse of resources is also reflective of the entrenching culture of corruption and impunity in the country.”
The Media and Information Officer therefore says “It is safe to conclude from these statistics that 46 of every 100 financial transactions we make in the country are suspicious of corruption, fraud, theft and other crimes and the trend seems to be going up. This is not good for sustainable development nor the security of the country. How can we allow a situation where individuals are amassing wealth at the expense of the poor majority Zambians?”