ZRA Officials Jailed Over Vehicle Disposal Scandal

Two former senior officials at the tax authority have been sentenced to prison for failing to follow proper procedures in the disposal of government vehicles.

Kingsley Chanda, the former Commissioner General of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), was handed a six-year jail term on Monday by a court in Lusaka.

His co-accused, Callistus Kaoma, who served as the ZRA's Director of Administration, received a harsher sentence of nine years with hard labour.

The case centred on the improper disposal of 22 ZRA vehicles between January 2017 and December 2020.

Principal Resident Magistrate Silvia Munyinya found Mr Chanda guilty on three of the 22 counts brought against him, while Mr Kaoma was convicted on 16 counts.

Both men were arrested in June 2023.

In addition to the prison sentences, Magistrate Munyinya ordered that all 22 vehicles be forfeited to the state. Interested parties have been given 90 days to contest the forfeiture.