Sweep team hands over final report

By JEFFREY ELAPA
A TOTAL of 24 public servants have been suspended under the public service management and public service general orders for their part in facilitating and benefiting from corruption, a report said.
The report by the Task Force Sweep team was presented to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill yesterday.
In accepting the report, O’Neill said he would present it to the National Executive Council in its next meeting to determine the next course of action to take.
He said whether the Sweep team would continue its work or be amalgamated with
other government institutions such as police or the fraud and anti-corruption unit, “prosecution will continue into the existing cases to see them
through to completion”.
The report said Task Force Sweep had recovered more than K52 million through tax recovery. More than K500 million would be recovered from more than 120 cases pursued by the team.
The report was submitted to O’Neill by the chairman of the Task Force Sweep team Sam Koim.
The report stated that so far, 35 arrests had been made but three of the cases were dismissed by the district courts.
Four people have been committed to stand trial in the National Court including three MPs. Other cases are pending at the District Court committal process.
The report further stated that investigation into the SCITB had resulted in several assets and machinery, bought under the SCITB arrangement, been seized.
The Central Bank had also frozen the balance of the funds to the tune of K55 million in National Capital Ltd’s bank accounts.
The report also revealed a very frightening trend of corruption in the country.