Hichilema dissolves ACC board with immediate effect

After the President called for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Director General Thom Shamakamba to resign, on 18 July, its entire board was dissolved.

The power to do this lies under Article 270 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia, and Section 26 of the Interpretation and General Provisions Act, Chapter 2 of the Laws of Zambia.

The allegations against the ACC, exposed by the former ACC Commissioner, Dr O’Brien Kaaba involved large-scale corruption implicating the Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, and several judges. It also exposed the Drug Enforcement Commission in operating an extortion ring concerning seized or frozen assets and bank accounts.

Dr O’Brien Kaaba wrote a letter to Hichilema urging him to make the move, citing that the board was in no fit state to carry out its aims in fighting corruption.

Clayson Hamasaka, the State House Chief Communications Specialist explained in a press briefing that the decision was made with a view to renewing the ACC’s mandate and rooting out any lack of dedication to the fight against corruption.

During a statement given by Vice President Nalumango in the National Assembly, she affirmed to the nation that any found corruption at the ACC will be dealt with by the law. She revealed that law enforcement agencies had already started investigating the suspicious transactions recorded in the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) report.

Ms Nalumango reassured Zambians that the Government regrets the situation unfurling at the ACC, and is steadfastly committed to upholding good governance in all state institutions. The fight against corruption continues, but Nalumango has “no doubt that the current challenges the institution may be facing will be resolved by following good corporate governance practices, the constitution, and other laws of the country.”