Story by Peter Chivhima
THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has called on the public to be patient as investigations into high-profile corruption cases continue.
The call for patience by the NPA comes amid concerns by the public that the authority and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) are only targeting small fish while high-profile offenders go scot-free.
Prosecutor General, Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo has called for patience as authorities tackle the complex corruption cases.
She made the remarks on Thursday during a courtesy call by newly sworn-in ZACC commissioners at her offices in Harare.
“High-profile matters have always been dealt with without political interference. As you are aware, high-profile matters take time to investigate, firstly, because of the complications of the evidence and once they are investigated, the prosecutors will take them to court. If you look at cases like the Abacha’s scenario in Nigeria, they took 15 years to be completed. So, Zimbabweans need to be patient. Investigations will still be underway. Let us give our investigators time to investigate,” she said.
The new anti-graft commissioners say the net is tightening on corrupt individuals.
“The perception that ZACC is a toothless bulldog, known for catch-and-release tactics or being used to settle personal scores, is over. We are not here for that. We are committed to giving ZACC the gravitas it deserves to effectively carry out its mandate,” ZACC Commissioner, Kindness Paradza said.
The Second Republic is taking a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to curb corruption, which includes the establishment of specialised anti-corruption courts and the implementation of public awareness and education campaigns.
