Those convicted of corruption will have their wealth and
assets forfeited to the State as part of restitution for their criminal deeds,
President Mnangagwa has said. He said his administration will rapidly and more
effectively respond to legitimate concerns of the general public with regard to
tackling corruption head-on by holding the corrupt fully accountable for their
misdeeds.
The President said this in a speech read on his behalf by
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo at a two-day
Fraud and Corruption Conference, which opened in Harare yesterday.
“In parallel with such restitution must, of course, come
retribution,” he said.
“Those found guilty of such corruption must be sanctioned
where they can reflect upon the consequences of their greed and the shame and
misfortune that that greed has brought upon themselves and their families.”
President Mnangagwa said Government has made progress in
strengthening existing legislation and introducing extra laws to boost the
Second Republic’s anti-corruption drive.
Some of the significant amendments that have been made to
tighten up mandatory reporting and oversight requirements feature in a number
of laws such as the Public Finance Management; Insolvency; Audit; Public
Entities Corporate Governance; Companies; Public Procurement and Disposal of
Public Assets; and Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Acts among others.
The Government is also working on a Whistleblower’s Act to
encourage and protect those who see evil being done and wish to stop it.
President Mnangagwa said Government is in the final stages
of appointing commissioners to the Anti-Corruption Commission and strengthening
the Office of the Prosecutor-General.
Government, he said, is also building capacity in key
oversight agencies such as the Auditor-General’s, Accountant-General’s and
Attorney-General’s offices. Herald
“We are seeking assistance from international partners to
build investigative capacity within key components of our law-enforcement
agencies, those tasked with investigating and building solid evidence-based
cases against the corrupt; cases which will hold up in court and lead to
conviction and, where the court so-decides, incarceration and the forfeiture of
assets,” he said.
The President said the fight against corruption was not one
that Government can wage alone urging the participants to play their role and
work towards a Plan of Action, identifying roles and responsibilities for the
various sectors represented at the conference.
“Government and yourselves collectively, can intensify our
common battle against the evil of corruption,” he said “Together, we can and must
make a difference.”
President Mnangagwa said from the onset, the Second
Republic’s moto has been ‘Zero Tolerance to Corruption,’ but progress has been
slow.
He attributed the slow progress to resistance the State is
facing which has tended to impede headway and undermine Government’s good
intentions.
“That, in turn, is a reflection of how deep the rot has
reached, how the beneficiaries of that rot are able to manoeuvre and manipulate
the system to their advantage, to keep ahead of law enforcement, weaken the
justice system and, in so doing, to continue their nefarious activities,
cheating the Government and the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“The slow pace of progress is also a reflection to some
extent, of the level of sophistication and complexity which the corrupt amongst
us have brought to bear, so as to mask their crimes, cover their tracks and
confound our law enforcement officials.”
President Mnangagwa said corruption should be totally
eradicated because it undermines Government efforts on economic reform and
progress towards the national vision of a middle-income economy by 2030.
“Just as importantly, the scourge of fraud, the theft of
public funds and the seeming impotence of our law-enforcement agencies and the
justice system more broadly to effectively stop such practices serves to
further erode public trust and confidence in Government and its institutions,”
he said.
President Mnagagwa, however, hailed the conference saying
its focus on fraud was not only welcome, but timely in that it coincided neatly
with the enhanced efforts Government was making in the fight against
corruption.
The participants were drawn from all stakeholders
representing both public and private sectors, academia, civil society, the
media, law enforcement agencies and the legal fraternity.
The objective of the conference is creating greater
awareness and a deeper understanding of fraud in all its sinister forms and to
appreciate the negative impact it has on the national economy. Herald
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