The Bank of Zambia – BOZ has refuted claims circulating on local news outlets stating that the Bank has lost containers full of newly minted currency worth more than K68 million in mid April 2019.
The cash is said to have been shipped from Munich Germany by a printing company Giesecke Devrient currency last week (mid April 2019). Bank of Zambia – BOZ Public Relations Manager Kanguya Mayondi told Zambian Business Times – ZBT in an exclusive interview that the information circulating on media platforms is not true as the bank has not lost any amount of money.
He said the force information coming from the media outlets is erroneous and likely to mislead the audience as individuals circulating the claims are not even aware about the amount of money the central bank holds.
“Those claiming that K68 million has gone missing at the bank probably don’t even know how that amount of money looks like hence it should not be something to warry people because that information is not true and it will never happen at the central bank,” he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on matter, National Democratic Congress – NDC spokesperson Saboi Emboele said the information circulating on social media platforms could be true as this is not the first time the Boz has had rumors of misplacing money.
She said told ZBT in separate interview that previously rumors arrived from the public domain that Boz had spent K49 million for buy-election hence it is possible that the K68 million could also have been spent on the just ended by-elections.
“ It is evident that a lot of money has been missing in our country and government is doing nothing about it so If the K68 million has gone missing at the BOZ, it makes sense because if K49 million was said to have been used for buy-elections then it is also possible that the K68 million went towards the just ended buy-election” she said.
She adds that government officials should be accountable to their positions adding that cases of money disappearance in the country are likely to cause public outrage in a nation that has long been dogged by corruption scandals.
She has however called on law enforcement forces to take serious investigations on the matter and ensure that those involved are brought to book without fail.
