MEDIA COUNSELLED ON MONEY LAUNDERING

INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Newstead Zimba has challenged the
media to take an active role in the fight against money laundering and
corruption which he described as a serious crime.

The minister said this during the opening of a three-day workshop on the
role of the media in combating money laundering and drug trafficking at
Blue Crest Motel in Lusaka yesterday.

In a speech read for him by his deputy Webby Chipili, he said the new deal
administration had waged a vicious war against corruption and money
laundering which were retarding national development.

He said journalists should effectively use their tools against the vicious
war as they were well-informed on Government policy of zero tolerance on
corruption.

He said those that would be convicted would face the wrath of the law which
was described in the Anti-Laundering Act of 2001.

Mr Zimba said it was important for the media to be equipped with all the
necessary information on the vice and explain the negative consequences to
the public

He said all those plunderers that had acquired property like houses or
vehicles fraudulently risked losing the property.

Citing Carlos, a Mozambican journalist who was killed for investigating the
ills of money laundering, Mr Zimba told journalists to be careful when
carrying out investigative journalism as culprits of the scourge would do
anything to eliminate them.

Mr Zimba however, cautioned them against falling for bribes as they were
meant to gag them from exposing them.

"Though you work under difficult conditions it is very important that you
don't accept bribes from these plunderers for you to carry out your duties
vigilantly as you expose the crimes that negatively affect our country," he
said.

Earlier, Drug Enforcement Commissioner Mukutulu Sinyani said the media
played a critical role in helping the public understand why they should not
engage themselves in money laundering and drug trafficking.

He said the workshop was aimed at enhancing partnership and equipping the
media with information on money laundering to enable them to report on the
matter objectively.

Meanwhile the DEC says it has in the last four months seized 54 tonnes of
drugs worth K40.5billion countrywide.

Mr Sinyani said during a presentation entitled 'an overview on drug
trafficking', that this amount was more than what was seized in the year
2002 where only 16 tonnes was seized.

He said most common drugs were cannabis, hashish, cocaine, miraa (khat),
diazepam and mandrax.

Mr Sinyani said the cultivation of cannabis had continued to be on the
increase in Zambia and that this translated into an upward trend in
trafficking.

He said the majority of drug traffickers were Zambians who shipped them to
South Africa through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. He said Zambia would
never legalise marijuana.