SCHOOL ACCOUNTANT NABBED OVER K360, 000

By NATION REPORTERA 42-YEAR-OLD Accounts Assistant from Namwala Secondary School has been arrested for money laundering activities involving K360, 000Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations officer, Theresa Katongo said the suspect identified as Manfred Hatamba, of B5 Nchete Compound in Namwala, stole K360, 000 in his capacity as Accounts Assistant at the school.Ms Katongo said Hatamba used the money to buy a plot in Monze, a television set, a fridge and also paid for his school fees at Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies.“Particulars of the offence are that between January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018, Manfred Hatamba inserted figures on dully authorised cheques to increase the amounts more than the approved amount,” she said in a statement.Ms Katongo said the suspect had been charged with theft by public servant, fraudulent false accounting, altering of false documents and money laundering.In Central Province, the DEC has destroyed over 1.7 tonnes of cannabis in an exercise conducted last Friday.This is from 256 cases that have been disposed of by the courts of law for the period July 2019 to October 2020.Ms Katongo said drugs destroyed included 1.45 tonnes of dry cannabis, 342.5 kilogrammes of loose cannabis and 300 grams of cannabis seed.She said two people were arrested for trafficking in 14.14 kg of loose cannabis.Ms Katongo said those arrested include Kebby Mutomwa, 43, of Chembwe village in Kapiri Mposhi for trafficking in 10.3kg of loose cannabis and Charity Chanda, 44, also of the same village for trafficking in 3.84kg of loose cannabis.She said the suspects were in Police custody and would appear in court soon.