Online Reporter
Trust Freddy and Alicia Kadzviti
At least 50 high-profile corruption dockets submitted by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to the National Prosecuting Authority last year, were each valued at over US$100 000.
This comes as ZACC has vowed that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption, saying all culprits will be held accountable regardless of political affiliation or position.
These high-profile cases were among 343 dockets sent to the NPA, which included cases that had been under investigation for years.
This was announced by ZACC chairperson Mr Michael Reza during the Commission’s 5th Annual General Meeting held yesterday at a Harare hotel.
“In direct pursuit of our mandate and NDS1’s emphasis on governance and the rule of law, the Commission continued to investigate and expose cases of corruption. A key strategic thrust in our work was focus on high-impact cases. I am pleased to note that 50 (14.5 percent) of the cases referred to NPA were high-profile, involving individuals in leadership positions or cases valued at over US$100,000,” Mr Reza said.
“Corruption is considered as an impediment to the attainment of Vision 2030 which is being driven through NDS1. In directly supporting the objectives of the national development strategy, the Commission actively seeks to disgorge the corrupt, of the illicit gains of corruption. In line with this strategy, Asset Recovery efforts were intensified during the reporting period.”
Giving a breakdown of the cases, ZACC executive secretary, Advocate Shepherd Manhivi, said in 2024, ZACC received 925 reports of suspected corruption, effected 295 arrests and referred 343 dockets to the National Prosecuting Authority, which included cases that had been under investigation for years.
“Of these cases referred to the NPA, 14,5 percent of these are classified as high-profile,” he said.
“We are also proud to report a conviction rate of 74 percent, a testament to the quality of our investigations and the efficacy of our collaboration with our stakeholders in the criminal justice delivery system, particularly, the NPA.”
Adv Manhivi also revealed that ZACC recovered over US$30 million in ill-gotten assets last year.
“In 2024, the commission conducted several seizures, completed and referred 43 case files to the NPA for both unexplained wealth orders and civil forfeiture applications worth US$10.6 million. The commission also successfully forfeited properties worth over US$20 million, bringing total value to US$30.6 million,” he said.
Going forward, Adv Manhivi said the commission would build upon this momentum, leveraging technology, strengthening partnerships and continuing to pursue a dual strategy of robust enforcement and proactive prevention.
Peter Tanyanyiwa