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Ashley Phiri, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) yesterday revealed that it seized over US$270 million worth of illegally obtained immovable assets, including a house in South Africa, in the past four years.
Speaking during a media training workshop in Bulawayo yesterday, Zacc manager for legal representation, Mrs Spiwe Chafungamoyo, said the first case was recorded in 2019 when a house worth US$250 000 was purchased using tainted funds.
“In 2020, Zacc seized nine immovable properties, including one in South Africa. These properties were worth about US$100 million. In 2021 the commission seized assets worth US$7 million and filed 18 cases with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA),” she said.
“In 2022, 20 cases had been filed with NPA worth US$29 million. Zacc received 11 orders from the High Court and subsequently seized seven properties and several vehicles.”
Last year, Zacc filed 39 cases with NPA to the value of US$136 million. Of those cases filed with NPA, Zacc recorded a 71 percent conviction rate.
Mrs Chafungamoyo said asset forfeiture is designed to discourage corruption. She said once the ill-gotten wealth has been recovered it has to be directed to productive expenditure such as infrastructure development and social services delivery.
“In addition, Zacc and NPA have partnered with local and international agencies involved in asset tracking and recovery, so that the commission can recover tainted assets outside the jurisdiction of Zacc and NPA,” she said.
Zacc deputy chairperson Mr Kuziva Murapa said: “The process of tracing and recovering tainted funds in foreign countries is very resource consuming, as those countries would have benefitted from an investment and it becomes difficult for them to disinvest.”
Mr Murapa noted that Zimbabweans constituted the highest number of investors in neighbouring countries.
“Most of those investments are not legally obtained. I, therefore, urge Zimbabweans to uphold their integrity and stay away from crime as well as invest at home so that we can develop our infrastructure and social services,” he said.
Meanwhile, 15 Bulawayo journalists drawn from various media houses yesterday signed the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) integrity pledge.
The pledge is part of the NACS prevention strategy launched by President Mnangagwa in 2020. Zacc said over 5 000 people across the country have signed the pledge since 2022 with the anti-corruption body aiming to rope in more signatures, particularly from those in public office.
NACS is a testament to the Government’s unwavering commitment to creating a corruption-free Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is party to the African Union Convention on preventing and combating corruption. The strategy fulfils Article Five of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
NACS’ six strategic objectives and actions incorporate the five pillars of UNCAC, which are preventive measures, criminalisation and law enforcement, international co-operation, asset recovery and technical assistance and information exchange.
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