Mupfumira said this while contributing to debate on a
report of the 2021 virtual hearings at the United Nations on fighting
corruption to restore trust in government and improve development prospects.
She said poor investigations by the police on corruption
cases were resulting in suspects being released without conviction because
there would be no evidence against them, adding it exposed government to
unnecessary litigation in the event of collapsed cases.
“The problem on why we are not properly handling corruption
is that you hear the issue of catch and release. You hear that people have been
arrested because of corruption, but later you hear that they are released,”
Mupfumira said.
“The problem is that there are a lot of false allegations
that are going on. So, no one will take us seriously and we will score lowly
when it comes to the index. Human dignity should be considered when there are
arrests or allegations. When there is an investigation, there should be a good
investigation. Law enforcement agents should be well-trained to separate
rumours and reasonable allegations.”
Mupfumira was sacked from government after criminal abuse
of office charges were levelled against her.
She is jointly charged with former permanent secretary
Ngoni Masoka on allegations of corruptly claiming US$90 000 from the National
Social Security Authority to purchase personal vehicles.
They have however denied the charges. Mupfumira told Senate
that malicious arrests would discredit the anti-corruption institutions, and
result in increased cases of abuse of public resources.
“Let us not act upon rumours because by the time we get to
the courts, it will become just mere allegations that will not stand and it
becomes a ‘catch and release’,” she said.
“Otherwise we end up losing credibility because of that and
it is as if this ‘catch and release’ was just meant for propaganda. Let us ensure that we investigate properly so
that government does not face litigation.
Investigators should work on fact and not hearsay or rumours.”
Midlands senator Morgen Komichi (MDC-T) called on
government to empower the anti-corruption institutions with training and
resources to enhance efficient service delivery. Newsday
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