MP Dzonzi says ACB is incompetent body, Justice Ministers downplays the bashing

Minister of justice and constitutional affairs Samuel Tembenu has quashed aside allegations that the Anti Corruption Bureau is incompetent in its operations.

The ACB is tasked with fighting corruption in the country.

Tembenu made the remarks Thursday in parliament when the committee of supply was deliberating on vote number 510 for the provision of around K3.66 billion to the graft-busting body.

In his contribution on the vote, Dowa West MP Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi said ACB is incompetent citing a decrease in the number of cases ACB intends to persecute in the coming fiscal year.

“Last year, the number of cases the ACB planned to handle was higher than those the bureau has planned for the coming fiscal year.

“Why should parliament continue to fund ACB’s incompetence?” queried Dzonzi.

However, Tembenu said it was unfair to judge the bureau as such.

He said it was easy at times to justify conclusions like this one simply by having a perspective from a certain corner.

The minister downplayed the allegations and told members that the bureau has personnel working tirelessly in fighting corruption in the country despite facing financial challenges.

Tembenu said reducing the number of cases does not necessarily mean reducing the spectrum of the bureau’s work.

He said some achievements of the ACB cannot be ignored.

“There are cases that have been concluded and there are cases that are ongoing. If anything, I am sure it is the honorable member of this house who must really appreciate what ACB is doing,” Tembenu said.