ECZ queried over $2m UPG job

.co.zm” class=”f”>Zambia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/17/13

By CAROLINE KALOMBE
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia illegally upped the amount of money for a ballot printing contract with Universal Print Group (UPG) from US$1.908 million to US$2 million to print ballot papers for the 2011 tripartite elections.
According to the Auditor-General’s report on accounts of parastatal bodies for the year ended December 31, 2011, the contract was varied from US$1,184,620 dollars to US$1.908 million, to include the printing of templates for blind voters.
The contract was further varied from US$1,908,219 to US$2,026,547.80 to include the cost of reprinting ballot paper booklets to rectify errors.
According to the report, this was irregular as it is contrary to clause three of the contract which stipulated that the supplier of goods and services was to remedy any defects.
The report also revealed that ECZ commissioners received irregular payments amounting to K360,000,000 as domestic servants’ allowances in the financial year ended December 31, 2011.
The commissioners paid themselves domestic servants’ allowances of K6,000,000 (KR6,000) each as agreed in a meeting held on January 12, 2011.
This is contrary to the ECZ Act which stipulates that a member of the commission shall be paid such remuneration or allowances with approval from the President.
The Auditor-General’s report observes that the ECZ commissioners approved the payment without consent from the President.
The report also revealed that payments totalling K106,831,800 were not adequately supported by relevant documents such as receipts, invoices and acquittal sheets.
And contrary to financial regulation number 90, imprest amounting to K89 million issued to various officers during the period under review was not retired as at December 2012.
The ECZ also irregularly paid recruitment and retention allowances to various officers who were in receipt of non-practice allowance amounting to K513,731,065.
This is contrary to the public service management division circular number B2 of 2007, which stipulates that non-private practice allowance will be paid to legal practitioners in government service.
These are not permitted to engage in private legal practice and that officers in receipt of non-practice allowance will not be eligible for payment of recruitment and retention allowances.
The report also revealed more irregularities which include unaccounted-for election materials, missing components of registration kits, missing power kits and irregularities in expenditure in various local authorities.