DPP says Investigations of Zambian Airways should spread to other countries

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga has advised investigative wings probing the operations of the defunct Zambian Airways to extend their investigative sphere to other countries to avoid piecemeal conclusions.

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has welcomed the directive to extend the investigation to foreign countries, saying that it would ensure comprehensiveness in the investigation of the matter.

Inspector-General of Police, Francis Kabonde says officers from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning audit department has been called in to strengthen the team and would soon travel outside Zambia for investigations.

The combined investigating team handed to the DPP a preliminary report on the airline’s failure to remit about US$1,793,782 in passenger service charges.

Kabonde said June 15 that in order to avoid inconclusive findings, it was imperative that the investigations were not only restricted to Zambia but spread out to other countries where the airline had offices. The police chief said the investigation was complex but the probe team comprising officers from the police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had made headways.

Sources say the investigating team was pursuing the criminal charge of theft by agent against the airline’s directors, in contravention of Section 272 and 280 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia. The team was also investigating how the Zambian Airways in 2007 secured a $5.5 million loan through a consortium of financial lending institutions, which consisted of Investrust Bank, Intermarket Banking Corporation and the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ).

Police have already recorded warn and caution statements from the directors of Zambian Airways in connection with the investigation into the operations of the airline.

TIZ president, Rueben Lifuka said the investigators and prosecutors should commit to doing a thorough job and thus enhance the chances of success of these cases in the courts of law.

Zambian Airways early this year suspended operations citing the high cost of aviation fuel and other operating costs for the decision.

Investigations into Zambian Airways on course

The Zambian Airways saga has continued to find space in the media especially in the privately owned Post newspaper. The newspaper is one of the owners of the defunct airline and on May 18 carried a story suggesting that the investigations into the Zambian airways saga had stalled. The paper also suggested that the three organisations investigating the matter - the police, the anti-Corruption Commission and the drug Enforcement Commission had now targeted employees of the Development Bank of Zambia for possible abuse of office.

Police Inspector General Francis Kabonde refuted a report in the Post newspaper of May 18 that the matter had stalled. He insisted that investigations were on course and that the first of these was handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for an opinion before arrests could be effected.