Former Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, has denied authorizing the transfer of over K100 million for the procurement of real estate in Turkey.
Testifying in court, Yamba stated that he played no role in the property acquisition process, emphasizing that the responsibility lay with the relevant procurement entities.
Yamba argued that, according to the Public Procurement Act, he was neither part of the procurement committee nor involved in the decision-making regarding the purchase.
He stated that the procurement was overseen by Dr. Ronald Simwinga, who chaired the committee and Dr. Sichinga, the controlling officer at the time.
“With regard to the procurement of properties in Turkey, I did not play any role. The Public Procurement Act is clear on who is responsible. I was not part of the procurement committee, nor did I participate in any related meetings,” he told the court.
The former treasury chief maintained that his role was limited to releasing funds from the Consolidated Fund, as required by law. He clarified that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was underfunded in 2020 and 2021, as highlighted in the Auditor General’s reports, and denied any unconstitutional overspending.
“I never participated in the disbursement of funds in Turkey. The accountant who testified in court confirmed that I was not present in Turkey and did not issue any instructions regarding the funds,” Yamba said.
He noted that the funds in question were allocated to Head 21 of the national budget, where a known controlling officer was responsible for their management.
He questioned why other officials directly involved in the procurement process had not been charged.
“I am being accused of a crime for performing my legal functions. If there were irregularities, the individuals responsible for procurement should be held accountable. I do not understand why I am being singled out,” he stated.
He also refuted allegations that he breached Article 203 of the Constitution, asserting that financial oversight and budget allocation were functions of the Minister of Finance, not the Secretary to the Treasury.
Yamba is facing two counts of willful failure to comply with the law. The state alleges that between January 2020 and August 2021, he authorized the transfer of K108.4 million and K45.8 million to the Zambian Mission in Turkey without following legal procedures.
Meanwhile, former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji faces three counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
