The Government, through the Civil Service Commission, has dismissed three accounting staff for abuse and theft of public funds.
Government on October 22nd acted on the growing scourge of misappropriation of funds in the civil service by firing 12 accountants and one operations staffer.
In a statement issued to Money FM News today, three more accountants have been fired and identified as Mr. Enoce Kashweka, a Principal Accountant, Mr. Eugene Kausu, an Accounts Assistant, and Mr. Hutson Hachuma, an Accounts Assistant.
The government says the stolen funds will be recovered from the terminal and pension benefits of the three dismissed officials and that the due process of the law will also be pursued by Law Enforcement Agencies.
Meanwhile, Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba has reiterated that to curb fraud and theft of public funds, Controlling Officers need to be on high alert in monitoring the happenings in their institutions.
He adds that Controlling Officers need to be firm in guiding their institutions on public financial management matters as they are instrumental in actualizing President Edgar Lungu’s vision of ensuring that prudent management of public resources is entrenched across the breadth and width of the public sector.
Mr. Yamba says the Ministry of Finance will not hesitate to evoke the sanction provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, 2018, against erring Controlling Officers and other public officials when regulations and rules governing the handling and utilization of public resources are contravened.
He has urged Controlling Officers to ensure that the irregularities pronounced in the auditor general’s report begin to get reversed in future audit instances.
Last week, the Ministry of Finance organised a Controlling Officers Seminar to help the delegates to appreciate the overview of the Public Finance Management Act, No. 1, 2018, and review the financial and stores regulations to bring them in conformity with the new Act and further strengthen internal control systems in the management of public resources.