The justice system should step up the fight against
corruption and bring an end to the “catch-and-release syndrome”, while the
arrest of “small and big fish” should become the new normal, President
Mnangagwa has said.
He also called for thorough investigations on corruption
cases to ensure successful prosecutions and fair justice to lawbreakers.
The President made the remarks in a televised address last
night to launch the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which coincided with the
commemoration of the Africa
Anti-Corruption Day yesterday.
“Members of the criminal justice system and those in
institutions tasked to fight corruption must improve on the investigation into,
and prosecution of, corruption cases,” the President said.
“They must be above reproach and must ensure that all cases
of corruption within their rank and file are thoroughly investigated, with
corrupt officials punished.
“The culture of long, drawn-out prosecutions and the ‘catch
and release syndrome’ must come to an end. The arrest and successful
prosecution of corrupt ‘big and small fish’ alike, must be the new normal.”
The President emphasised that the Government was sincere in
its fight against corruption as seen by new endeavours undertaken to fight
graft.
“At the advent of the Second Republic, and upon my assumption
of the Office of President, my Government prioritised the fight against
corruption and declared zero tolerance to this vice. To this end, we continue
evaluating progress in fighting corruption and have made several changes to
legislation and adopted best practices,” he said.
The President’s remarks come at a time the Government is
delivering on its promise to root out corrupt officials regardless of their
standing.
Some Cabinet ministers and senior civil servants including
former Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo, former Public Service,
Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira, former Director of State
Residences Douglas Tapfuma, former Energy and Power Development Minister Samuel
Undenge and former Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo are either before
the courts or have been convicted for various corruption-related crimes.
Dr Moyo, who has since been fired, was arrested last month
for awarding a tender to Drax International for the supply of Covid-19 drugs
and personal protective equipment without following due process.
Mupfumira was arrested last July on abuse of office charges
related to US$95 million allegedly siphoned from the National Social Security
Authority (NSSA). Samuel Undenge and Douglas Tapfuma, who were also arrested on
corruption-related charges have been convicted and are already serving two and
four-year sentences respectively.
ZACC was intensifying its lifestyle audits through an
operation code-named “Wakazvitenga Sei?” which seeks to flush out corrupt elements
in the public and private sectors.
“Specifically, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission was
reconstituted and capacitated to better deliver on its mandate as outlined in
our Constitution.
“In addition, we established Special Anti-Corruption
Courts, established a new Special Anti-Corruption Unit within my Office,
enacted the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act and required Cabinet
members to declare their assets.”
Fighting corruption, he said, was essential in the
attainment of Vision 2030.
“As citizens, rest assured and be emboldened by the
political will demonstrated by my Government in the fight against corruption.
It is against this backdrop that I take the opportunity of this commemoration
to launch the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2020-2024.
“This strategy is a roadmap in the fight against corruption
in Zimbabwe as we accelerate our quest to achieve Vision 2030. The
implementation of the strategy must be robust and responsive to changes and new
realities that may emerge, and must build a tradition of integrity, honesty and
hard work,” he said.
Corruption has permeated all sections of society, contrary
to the notion that it only affected the public sector, said the President.
“Furthermore, I challenge the private sector, civil
society, political parties, churches and other socio-economic groups to
cultivate integrity and high ethical standards in the execution of their
various functions. The perception that corruption only occurs in the public
sector will only slow us down in fighting corruption in other sectors of our
economy. As we go forward, the anti-corruption fight must be anchored at the
community level, and must deal with both sides of corrupt practices, that is the
‘givers’ and the ‘receivers’.”
In her statement to commemorate Africa Anti-Corruption Day,
ZACC chair Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo said Zimbabwe subscribed to the African
Union Aspiration for Agenda 2063, which speaks to a continent characterised by
good governance, justice and the rule of law.
She said in line with this year’s theme, the judiciary
should be more efficient in fighting corruption. This year’s theme is,
“Fighting corruption through effective and efficient judicial systems.”
“It is my strong conviction that all our collaborative
efforts should be invested in strengthening judicial systems to deal with
corruption issues decisively,” said the ZACC chair.
“The judiciary is an essential stakeholder in the justice
delivery value chain and the expectations on how corruption cases are handled
within the African continent is quite high and requires coordinated efforts
among law enforcement agencies and the judiciary.”
Justice Matanda-Moyo called on the judiciary to impose
stiffer sentences against corruption.
“In line with our constitutional mandate, we shall continue
to lobby for the strengthening of the judicial system to efficiently deal with
corruption and hinder individuals from benefiting from proceeds of the
scourge,” she said.
“As a Commission, we also kindly urge the judiciary to
impose deterrent sentences to perpetrators of corruption and further ensure
that effective and efficient systems are put in place to deal with corruption
matters.
“All critical stakeholders and the judiciary are urged to
collectively work together towards a common purpose of improving the current
and existing judicial systems in order to concretise the continent’s ‘political
will’ and commitment towards a corrupt-free, citizen-driven, democratically
governed Africa, as envisioned by Agenda 2063: The Africa Want.”
Africa was losing at least US$50 billion annually to
corruption-related activities. The scourge was one of the biggest threats that
Africa was facing.
“This explains why African countries adopted the African
Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Its provisions have
cascaded to all African countries so as to have unified and amplified efforts,
as well as a common position in suffocating the breeders of corruption within
the African continent.”
The African Anti-Corruption Day is commemorated on July 11
and was declared in 2018 to give impetus, recognition and prominence to the
collaborative fight against corruption within the continent. Sunday Mail
0 comments:
Post a Comment