Zambian Agriculture Minister Named İn Graft Scandal

By Francis Maingaila LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) – An opposition leader, who exposed a Zambia-Malawi maize deal scandal has taken the Zambian government to task for failing to reprimand the country's agriculture minister, Dora Siliya.The maize scandal in question led to both the firing and arrest of former Malawi Agriculture Minister George Chaponda for his alleged involvement in the maize deal while his Zambian counterpart, Dora Siliya remains unscathed.Savior Chishimba, leader of the opposition United Progressive People (UPP) told journalists on Monday that the Zambian government was given overwhelming evidence allegedly proving Siliya's involvement in the maize deal but both the government and the anti-corruption Commission had so far been reluctant to act against her."I, personally, submitted the evidence to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Zambia linking Siliya to an illegal maize deal. The same evidence was given to the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and led to the arrest of the former agriculture minister [of Malawi]," he said.He added that Siliya should immediately be arrested and taken to court for not only abuse of office but also corruption, including embezzlement.In July 2016, the two agriculture ministers from Zambia and Malawi reportedly used surrogate bodies, the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) and Malawi's Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), to sign a $34. 5 million deal under which Zambia was to export 100, 000 metric tons of maize to Malawi.The ton of maize maize was reportedly overcharged. On July 19, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Malawi arrested Chaponda. -