By Runesu Gwidi
Whistleblowers who make false corruption reports to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) will soon be prosecuted, a senior official has said.
ZACC Commissioner Gabriel Chaibva said they were concerned with the proliferation of individuals attempting to use the commission to settle personal scores.
He said this during the National Anti-Corruption Strategy validation workshop in Masvingo on Monday.
“We are currently revisiting laws and statutes with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“In the near future, there shall be a penalty for those that supply ZACC with false information.
“It is worrisome that ZACC is inundated with false corruption reports from politicians, businesspeople and other individuals. This then will force us to waste our resources in pursuance of the false leads,” said Chaibva.
Chaibva, who was flanked by the University of Zimbabwe economics lecturer Professor Albert Makochekanwa, said some individuals were accusing their enemies of corruption.
“Now, because of this we don’t rush into arresting parties in a case before assessing its authenticity.
“That is why at times we take time to deliver the outcome of the case,” he said.
“Some of these so-called corruption reports are mere political statements from unscrupulous politicians expecting ZACC to settle their scores,” Chaibva said.
He emphasised the need for tangible evidence in corruption cases. The Herald
