UK govt has frozen direct financial Aid to the Zambia
Fergus Cochrane-Dyet
The UK government has frozen direct financial aid to the Zambian government over concerns about corruption.
The alleged multi-million dollar fraud involves the creation of shell companies and the diversion of money meant for poorer families, the journal Africa Confidential reports.
Ireland, Finland and Sweden have also suspended aid.
The British High Commissioner to Zambia, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, confirmed the aid freeze in a tweet. saying that the UK government has a “zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption”.
He also indicated that there is an investigation into the alleged corruption and the government will decide on its next move once this has been completed.
A statement from the Swedish government’s aid agency, Sida, said that there had been “strong suspicions of irregularities”.
It also said that Finland and Ireland had joined Sweden and the UK in the aid freeze.
The alleged corruption has affected the country’s health, education and local government ministries, African Confidential reports.
It says that a report by Zambia’s auditor general highlighted that people in the ministry of education established shell companies to divert funds.
A scheme to provide poorer families with direct grants has also been affected, as the money was used to buy expensive vehicles, Africa Confidential adds.
The UK government has not confirmed the amount of aid that has been affected.
The aid suspension comes as the country’s debt levels are coming under increasing scrutiny.
Meanwhile Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Patrick Matibini has advised Choma Central Member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa to lodge a written question so that the government can respond to his question on the suspension of aid to Zambia by the United Kingdom citing corruption.
This was after Mr Mweetwa raised a point of order on the recent statement that the United Kingdom has suspended aid to Zambia due to rampart embezzlement and corruption activities in the government Ministries.