Zambian president's salary stolen

It seems Mr Chiluba did not miss 16 months' pay

Zambian police have arrested three men suspected of stealing President Frederick Chiluba's last 16 months' pay.

The three, a businessman and two employees of Barclays Bank in Ndola, are accused of conspiring to divert the president's salary from his account.

According to the independent Post newspaper, which first came out with the story, the total sum stolen from President Chiluba was 82 million kwacha ($21,578).

There was no immediate comment from the president, who appears not to have missed his last 16 months' pay until the fraud was discovered.

Same names

Police said the businessman's account bore exactly the same names as those of the president, and the bank employees were therefore able to change account numbers on order slips without any questions asked.

"Each time the salary came into the bank, the employees... would cross out his account number and put it in the name of their friend with similar names to the president," a bank source told the Post.

"The friend would then withdraw the money and [they would] share it amongst themselves. It seems this has been going on for the last 16 months," the source said.

Bank repays president

Barclays Bank of Zambia Managing Director Margaret Mwanakatwe told Reuters news agency that the bank had launched an investigation after a formal complaint had been issued by the presidency.

"We received a complaint from State House. We investigated and found the money had been diverted to an account of a man bearing similar names to the president's," she said.

"We have credited the president's account with the missing money. Two bank employees and the businessman whose account was inadvertently credited with the president's salary have been arrested over the case," Ms Mwanakatwe told Reuters.

A bank source quoted by the Post said the president had not drawn any money from his account in the past 16 months and the fraud was only discovered when one of the bank employees went on leave.

"It was discovered because the new man questioned why the president's account number was being cancelled out," the source said.