Don’t blame us for failure to prosecute graft cases: Zacc

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has said it should not be blamed for failure to ensure conviction of high-profile corruption cases because it had no prosecuting powers.

Zacc chairperson Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was failing the commission by not prosecuting culprits.

Matanda-Moyo said Zacc submitted 180 dockets to Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi for prosecution in 2021 alone.

“In the area of investigations, the commission has surpassed the annual target of 180 dockets submitted to the NPA for prosecution. The commission remains concerned with the speed at which the cases are processed through the criminal justice system,” MatandaMoyo said in a statement.

“We have been engaging the NPA and Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to implement necessary reforms in order to enhance public confidence in the fight against corruption.”

Matanda-Moyo said the four convictions secured in 2021 fell far short of Zacc expectations.

“The four convictions so far this year arising from our dockets fall far below our expectations given the number of high profile arrests we made during the year. We continue to engage the relevant authorities to be granted prosecution powers in order to complement the work of the NPA, without infringing on its constitutional mandate.”

Zacc, which was allocated $355 million in 2021, will get close to $1 billion in 2022. The anti-corruption body has been accused of sleeping on duty and playing politics.

Zacc has been accused of turning a blind eye on reports by Auditor-General

Mildred Chiri that detail corruption and maladministration in ministries, public enterprises and local government.