Socio Economic justice think tank, Zimbabwe Coalition On Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) has urged the authorities to establish a comprehensive system that fights corruption.
Public confidence in the institutions that deal with corruption continue to dwindle as cases of politically connected person’s are not concluded timely.
In other circumstances, high profile persons are arrested and freed without charge, a regular occurrence that has been coined “catch and release.”
Last year the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo blamed the National Prosecuting Authority the delay in prosecuting case investigated by the commission.
However, the National Prosecuting Authority insisted that the commission was handing over cases that would not hold water in court.
During the pick of the COVID19 pandemic the then minister of Health Dr Obadiah Moyo was arrested by ZACC.
He was arrested over allegations of illegally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract to Drax International LLC.
Moyo was released on bail the next day. Three months after he was arrested Moyo was acquitted by the courts, a decision that was received with contempt by citizens.
Statement
In a statement to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Day on 9 December 2022 annually, ZIMCODD decried the negative effect corruption has posed to citizens and urged government to strength enforcement.
“Develop a more coherent enforcement system that links investigation,
arrest and prosecution.
“Currently, the catch and release phenomenon
continues as a window-dressing mechanism.
“There remains no
accountability for high profile cases of corruption which in turn have a more
significant effect on citizen’s lives,” read the statement.
According to a report produced Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) in 2020 the country about US$1.8 billion to corruption.
As a result to these losses the citizens are exposed to poor health facilities with poorly paid staff, bad road, unsafe or no drinking water and poor sewage reticulation.
Zimbabwe is ranked 157th out of 180 nations on the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Index, which makes the nation less appealing to much-needed foreign direct investment
