Presidential anti-corruption special prosecution unit head
Tabani Mpofu has called for stiffer penalties on people convicted of graft in
order to effectively deal with the scourge, which he said is costing the
country billions of dollars.
This comes amid calls by civic groups for the government to
adopt a human rights approach when dealing with suspects of corruption.
“I have been a prosecutor for some time. Do we need a human
rights approach when dealing with corruption? Someone who has stolen over $200
000 will bring lawyers, even two. Some are even hired out of the country. But
for an ordinary person, it is easy to prosecute. It takes ten minutes. We are
done,” Mpofu said while speaking at a public accountability multi-stakeholder
workshop convened by Oxfam in Harare yesterday.
“How do I prosecute a commando someone who is able to go
and pay my magistrate? A commando, who is able to go to judiciary and influence
justice.”
Mpofu said it was high time the nation considers adopting
robust laws to tackle corruption.
“Singaporeans have draconian laws. If they catch you they
can even go to your aunts, nephews and brothers’ accounts and get them,” Mpofu
said.
Former Tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira is languishing in
remand prison since her arrest in July on allegations of defrauding the
National Social Security Authority of over US$95 million.
Women in Politics Support Unit executive director Sakhile
Sifelani-Ngoma said policies should be put in place to force corrupt people to
pay back money they would have stolen.
“We need to have legal mechanisms like South Africa
approaches where those prosecuted will pay back the money. In Zimbabwe we have
seen them arrested but they are not able to pay the money back. How can we get
the money back? We need the money back,” she said.
Sifelani-Ngoma added that stronger accountability measures
should be put in place to safeguard the recovered funds.
“After corruption dealings for instance, is the hospital
which was supposed to be benefiting from the money able to benefit through
getting drugs? When President Emmerson Mnangagwa came into power he told us
that some money had been recovered but where did that money go? We need
stronger accountability,” she said. Newsday
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