THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chair has
lambasted the current docket keeping system, which may result in loss of key
information in criminal cases, and the institution is moving to modernise the
records’ storage.
She bemoaned the critical lack of resources , with 90 investigators sharing three
vehicles, but insisted that these would not deter her from the bringing
culprits to book. Already, she is studying the Auditor-General and NSSA audit
reports, with arrests expected soon.
In a no-holds-barred
interview with The Sunday Mail, Justice Matanda-Moyo said Zacc was raring to go.
Parliament recently held public interviews for 38
prospective candidates and the names of the successful ones will be forwarded
to President Mnangagwa, who will then appoint the 10 commissioners.
“My Commission will be functional. There is no room for
corruption as any mishap will be dealt with severely. The new Zacc will not
tolerate any corrupt officials,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.
She was concerned about the shambolic record-keeping
system, particularly for dockets at Zacc. A digital docket management system is now reportedly in the
works.
“The Commission’s records should be very secure and
independent, hence we will be improving in that regard. I am just waiting for
the commissioners to be appointed so that we make decisions on those aspects.
“You struggle to find dockets. One can ask for a particular
docket and officers will go in circles searching for it. In one instance, a
docket was finally found at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). That is
undesirable. A docket management system should be done in a press of a button.”
The Zacc chair said a list of the graft-fighting body’s
requirements will soon be forwarded to the Office of the President and Cabinet,
and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
“Zacc is not well-resourced. We have 19 teams of
investigators sharing three vehicles. When they investigate, a team is made up
of three or four investigators, so we have 19 teams sharing three vehicles.
These cars are all we have nationwide,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.
“In terms of investigators, we do not have the adequate
numbers as we are currently riding on secondment from the police and other
State institutions.
“There is less than half of what we are looking for, thus
we have 90 — that’s in Harare.”
Justice Matanda-Moyo — a seasoned High Court judge — said
Zacc will sign an agreement with the University of Zimbabwe to train
investigators in forensic accounting, financial intelligence and cyber-crimes
to enhance skills in fighting white-collar crimes.
There are also plans to introduce a new law to protect
whistleblowers.
“We urgently require a piece of legislation to protect
witnesses. It is a problem to invite whistleblowers to testify in court without
that piece of legislation. They are open to abuse by their superiors,” she
said.
The former Dr Job Wabhira-led Zacc, she added, was
dysfunctional. She also rubbished claims of conflict of interest in her
appointment as Zacc chair at a time when her husband — Dr Sibusiso Moyo — is
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
“Why didn’t you raise the issue of conflict (of interest)
when he was appointed Minister since I was already a High Court Judge?
“My marriage and job are two different things. I have been
married to him for a long time. I am not marrying him today that I should be
influenced by him. He is not the one who has mandated me to lead Zacc.” Sunday
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