Two FRA Officers Arrested Over Alleged K2,500 Bribe
Two officers from the Food Reserve Agency -FRA- have been arrested and charged with two counts of corrupt practices involving an alleged bribe of two thousand five hundred kwacha.
Anti-Corruption Commission -ACC- Head of Corporate Communications, Joseph Mwenya, says the two, identified as Hapenga Beene, 27, and Inonge Mwaiba, 26, are both Depot Clerks at Keembe Farm Institute in Chibombo District.
Mr Mwenya says the two allegedly solicited K2,500 from maize supplier Berlin Malambo in exchange for facilitating the purchase of his maize by the Food Reserve Agency.
He says the officers are further accused of receiving K2,000 from Mr Malambo on October 13, 2026 as part-payment of the alleged bribe.
According to the ACC, Mr Malambo supplied one hundred bags of maize, each weighing fifty kilogrammes, to the agency.
However, the two officers allegedly provided only ten of the required one hundred FRA-branded grain bags and withheld the remaining ninety unless he paid them.
Mr Mwenya says investigations further revealed that the officers allegedly delayed attending to the supplier in an attempt to frustrate him into offering money.
He says the provision of FRA-branded grain bags is a free government service, and maize suppliers are not required to pay any facilitation fees.
The two accused officers have since been released on bond and are expected to appear in court on Monday, November 16, 2026.
The ACC has warned public officers against demanding or receiving bribes for services that should be provided free of charge.
Mr. Mwenya has also urged members of the public to report suspected cases of corruption through its established reporting channels.