Ministers under corruption probe

Mr Chirindo said no one was “untouchable”.
He said ZAAC was investigating corruption allegations levelled against several high-ranking officials, including Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament.

Mr Chirindo, however, refused to name those under investigation.
“We are not targeting only the small fish as some people may think.
“There are no sacred cows and all the reports that we have received, including those of several ministers, senior Government officials and MPs are under investigation.

“No one is immune to investigation and if there is enough evidence against the ministers or MPs, we will simply forward the documents to the Attorney-General’s office for prosecution.”
Mr Chirindo dismissed as “misinformed” claims that President Mugabe had ordered the commission not to investigate some Government officials.

“People tend to lie about the President. Our President does not condone corruption. We are an independent body and no one tells us how, who and what to investigate. No one is immune to investigation.”
He attributed delays in completing investigations to the complexity of some cases.

He said some witnesses were afraid to release the necessary information.
“It is not that we are toothless as some people perceive, but the major challenge is there is no witness protection.”
He said ZAAC had requested for funding to ensure the protection of witnesses.
“Another issue is that investigations that involve financial issues are complex and require more time.

“In some instances, a case cannot move forward without the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report.”
Mr Chirindo said the prosecuting authority lay in the AG’s office.
“The laws of this country are clear and it is the AG that can decide to prosecute or not.

“Our duty is to investigate, prepare the dockets and forward them to the AG. If he is happy then he can proceed with prosecution.”
He said the commission was failing to fully execute its mandate due to under funding.
“Treasury is not adequately funding us and we can not discharge our duties efficiently,” he said.

“If you do not fund the police, the AG’s office and the ZACC, there will be no movement on some cases because we work together as stakeholders in fighting corruption.”
On the new website, Mr Chirindo said it would enable the commission to converse with the public.
“This will assist the public in having the access to ZACC’s vision, mandate and operations.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to fight corruption and I think we will be in a position to interact with the public and get tips and information,” he said.