A SURVEY by a group representing lawyers has flagged prosecutors as the most corrupt officials in judicial proceedings.
The survey, titled Justice Delivery, conducted by the Law
Society of Zimbabwe and supported by the European Union, also showed that corruption
was rife at the magistrates courts.
“The magistrates court was singled out by lawyers as the
institution where corruption is prevalent, with prosecutors, clerks of court,
registry staff, and other support staff being labelled the most corrupt,” the
report read.
“All the lawyers who participated in the survey indicated
that prosecutors were the most corrupt officials in criminal proceedings. The
findings revealed that due to information asymmetry, self-actors fell prey to
unethical conduct of some clerks and support staff at courts and sometimes paid
money to get papers drafted for them and to get directions on how to proceed
with their case.
“The findings, however, revealed that corruption is a
complex phenomenon because of the ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ concept.”
The study also established that other forms of corruption
did not necessarily involve the exchange of money, but abuse of power and
authority, where political and powerful figures use their influence through
instructions for the arrest and prosecution of opponents or protection of
relatives and friends facing criminal charges.
On the justice delivery system, the report disclosed that
court users were made to pay money by clerks of court in return for influencing
positive outcomes for their cases.
Lawyers pointed out that corruption was rife among various
groups in the justice delivery system due to poor remuneration, difficult
working conditions and a general lack of integrity. Newsday
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