High Court Orders Former MP to Return Stolen Funds

Former PF Member of Parliament for Kasma, Kelvin Sampa, has been ordered by the High Court to pay K1.4 million to a trading firm that paid him whilst in office for illegal access to government offices.

Lusaka High Court Judge, the Honourable Justice Koreen Etambuvu Mwenda-Zima, ruled that the money had been paid on false pretences and fraudulently obtained from Mbaruku Trading and must be paid back.

Mr Sampa obtained the money from Mbaruku Trading on the false pretence that he would release impounded goods from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to the firm. In March 2021 a Mbaruku Trading truck carrying Konyagi beer was impounded by the ZRA. Mbaruku approached the PF Chairperson for COMESA, Ackim Lungu, who deferred the matter to Sampa.

Mr Sampa claimed he had the authority to instruct the ZRA to release the goods desired by Mbaruku Trading, hence the K1.4 million payment was made. However, Sampa never held such authority.

After engaging the Customs Commission to release the goods, on the basis that the firm was considered a friend of the PD, Sampa’s request was rejected. Subsequently, he ended communications with Mbaruku Trading claiming the payment was simply a commission to engage the authority not a guarantee of success. Sampa attempted to pay a heavily reduced sum but the trading firm rejected the offer and deferred the matter to the police.

The New Dawn administration has pushed hard to reduce corruption and abuses of public offices since coming into power. So far the Anti-Corruption Commission has made 71 arrests and achieved 8 convictions. Further, the ACC claims 5 million people have been “sensitised” through public education activities. Whilst the fee to be returned to Mr Zampa is extraordinary, the practice of payments and bribes to public officials appears to have been commonplace under the Lungu administration. Cases from Mr Sampa to roadside bribes are being targeted by the government. Earlier this week the American Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, praised the efforts undertaken by the government to root out these practices.

Chikabala Kaleta, a member of the UPND mobilisation team in Kalulushi District, recently praised the political will shown by Hichilema to fight fraud and corruption but urged all Zambians to aid rather than impede the government’s efforts.