Karonga District Council has interdicted 11 employees pending investigations into the alleged abuse of millions of kwacha meant for ground rent revenue during the 2020/21 financial year.

In an interview on Wednesday after a full council meeting, the council’s chairperson Belium Msukwa said they have engaged auditors to determine the money allegedly misappropriated.

He said: “We have issued interdiction letters to the concerned employees who were allegedly involved in fraud in terms of revenue collection where they were forging receipts.

“They were posting in receipts that had different figures. Preliminary findings show that about 85 percent of the generated revenue allegedly went into their pockets.”

Msukwa: We have engaged auditors

However, the decision to engage auditors drew mixed reactions from concerned stakeholders, saying it was a waste of time and resources.

 Mbande Area Development Committee chairperson Fwasani Silungwe in an interview described the development as unfortunate.

“The money involved could have been used to upgrade the district’s road network, improve sanitation at the main market and pay

 wages to indirect council employees,” he said.

In a separate interview yesterday, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of Karonga Diocese desk officer Louis Nkhata said the issue was criminal in nature and should be referred to auditors.

“So, we expect the council to engage police to question the involved officials so that the law should take its course,” he said.

Governance expert Wonderful Mkhuche commended the council for the decision to engage auditors to ascertain the amount embezzled for appropriate action.

“That is the standard procedure so that auditors should investigate to find the actual amount that was embezzled for the council to build its concrete case before seeking justice,” he said.

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