Thursday, December 30, 2010, 19:15

http://www.lusakatimes.com/2010/12/30/dec-arrests-73-money-laundering-involving-k100-billion/

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) says it this year arrested 73 people countrywide for money laundering activities involving K102.4 billion.

DEC public relations officer John Nyawali told journalists in Lusaka today that those arrested included public and private individuals.

Mr Nyawali expressed concern at the increasing cases of white collar crimes by people in both the private and public sectors.

He observed that money laundering is becoming one of the most sophisticated and prevalent white collar crimes in Zambia that has the capacity to paralyze institutions of good governance and cripple the economy if not properly handled.

Mr. Nyawali says the commission’s focus in 2011 is to double its efforts in curbing money laundering, drug trafficking and drug abuse.

And reflecting on the Commission’s performance this year, Mr. Nyawali described 2010 as a challenging year for the commission but noted that a number of successes have been scored in bringing to book high profiled people that engaged in money laundering activities.

He says despite the prolonged judicial processes in the prosecution of money laundering cases, 16 people have been convicted and property that includes 14 vehicles and a house have been forfeited to the state.

And Mr. Nyawali says the DEC intends to extend the verification exercise of claims of supply of goods and services to other departments in order to expose bogus suppliers.

This follows the recent verification exercise that the Commission undertook during the period January and December 2010 on the Ministry of Defence and Home Affairs and Provincial Administrations where a scam amounting to K 5.3 billion was unearthed.

Meanwhile, the DEC has this year seized a total of 107 tonnes of cannabis, representing an increase of 67 percent in cannabis seizures from 64 tonnes seized in 2009.

DEC Public Relations Officer John Nyawali says about 4, 500 people were arrested from different parts of the country for various drug related offences representing an increase of 38 percent from 3, 257 arrests made in 2009.

Mr. Nyawali says of those arrested this year, 536 are females and 3, 987 are males ranging from the ages of eight to 85 years old.