Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts have yielded monumental results, with authorities forfeiting illicit assets worth US$41,5 million in the past year alone.
In comparison, a further US$35 million remains under preservation, Prosecutor-General Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo has revealed.
The significant milestone, comprising real estate and high-value vehicles among other properties, was disclosed by the PG during her keynote address at the opening of the 16th Annual General Meeting of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa (Arinsa) in Victoria Falls recently.
Justice Matanda-Moyo attributed the success to a robust, multi-pronged approach and effective collaboration within the asset recovery value chain, involving various national agencies and regional partners.
“Through this multi-pronged approach and making use of effective collaboration within the asset recovery value chain, Zimbabwe has made substantial progress,” she said.
Justice Matanda-Moyo further explained that the forfeitures were achieved through a dual legal framework.
The primary engine has been the civil-based asset forfeiture regime under the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows the state to target property linked to crime without needing a prior criminal conviction.
“It enables our courts to forfeit tainted property without requiring prior conviction, the filing of specific charges, or even the presence of the respondent. It is a game-changer,” said PG Matanda-Moyo.
This was complemented by conviction-based forfeiture under other statutes like the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.
Justice Matanda-Moyo referred to the Prosecutor-General versus Phillip Tendenedzai case, in which authorities secured their first equivalent-value confiscation order.
The tool allows the state to seize other property owned by a suspect equal to the value of illicit assets that cannot be physically located.
“This sends a clear message that even if you hide the actual money that you steal, we will come for whatever else you own to compensate for what you took,” she said.
Justice Matanda-Moyo explained that the recoveries were not mere statistics but represented vital resources being reclaimed for the public good.
“These are not just statistics; they represent resources clawed back from greed to serve the public good,” she said.
The success was a product of enhanced capacity built over the years through ARINSA, which has trained over 2 000 officials across the region, she added.
In Zimbabwe, this has strengthened the hands of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and the Financial Intelligence Unit.
“The skills that we have learnt, honed and shared as Arinsa over the years have impacted Zimbabwe’s investigative capabilities, enabling investigators to pierce the veil of secrecy surrounding illicit funds,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.
Furthermore, she linked the aggressive recovery drive to the broader concept of restorative justice, guided by the African Union’s Common African Position on Asset Recovery (Capar).
Recovered assets, she said, are channelled through the state’s Asset Management Unit into a Recovered Assets Fund.
“This unit oversees the Recovered Assets Fund, ensuring that illicit wealth is transformed into victim compensation, infrastructure, and law enforcement support
“As SADC states, members of Arinsa and the African union, we all have an obligation to turn the proceeds of crime into the proceeds of development,” she said.
While celebrating the progress, the Prosecutor-General issued a call for greater financial sovereignty for Arinsa, moving beyond reliance on donor partners to ensure the network’s sustainability and independence.
The revelations at the conference underscore a heightened and increasingly effective national and regional campaign to strip criminals of their ill-gotten gains, signalling a tougher stance against economic crimes and corruption.
