President Mwanawasa says he is disappointed with the poor performance of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).
“I am not satisfied with the Anti Corruption Commission’s operations.You will need to find ways of improving its operations.You should sit down with senior managers and discuss why its performance has been so poor,” Mr Mwanawasa said yesterday at State House.
Mr Mwanawasa said this when he swore-in ACC chairperson, Valentine Chileshe and commissioner Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika.
The President said he would be reluctant to lobby funds for the ACC if it did not improve its performance.
Mr Mwanawasa said the ACC had performed below his expectation compared to the Drug Enforcement Commission.
“A lot of cases taken to court by ACC take too long to be disposed of and this has greatly contributed to congestion in prisons.
When I was a practising lawyer, I never saw cases that dragged on in court for more than five years like it is currently,†he said.
Mr Mwanawasa was also disappointed that there were many adjournments of court cases, which were delaying justice.
The President asked the Chief Justice, Ernest Sakala, to find time and sit with senior judiciary staff to find ways of addressing the problem of cases, which were always being adjourned.
“Sometimes judges allow adjournments on flimsy grounds, resulting in congestion of prisons.
Very soon, I shall be signing a statutory instrument through which I have committed the death penalty to life imprisonment,” Mr Mwanawasa said.
The President said once the statutory instrument was signed, some of the inmates serving death sentences would face life imprisonment while others would be released.
Mr Mwanawasa said crucial witnesses would have died if cases were always delayed before coming up in court.
He also said witnesses’ memories would have been blurred and all it required to get an acquittal was a clever lawyer.
“They will be asked very nasty questions and witnesses will be scratching their heads or sometimes you (witnesses) will say it is a slip of the tongue.
The tongue is safely anchored there in the mouth,” Mr Mwanawasa said.
He said if the cases took too long to be disposed of, witnesses would find it unfashionable to give evidence against suspects who would be heroes by then.
Mr Mwanawasa also said the crowding of inmates in the country’s prisons was inhuman and needed urgent attention to address the situation.
 Daily- Mail
How can the President be disappointed when they have no powers to prosecute the wrong-doers? And the President himself is biased on whom to prosecute. Limit your power’s and LPM you’ll be the first ACC to charge on corruption. Give those powers to the Chief Justice, ACC and Parliament, and i promise you that you’ll not be disappointed again. Ask FTJ how disappointed he is with you. And your DPP, what do the people of Zambia pay him for, to allow congestion in prison’s. You are a lawyer and know more about evidence gathering.
Kayata, why is it that your nose is all over the blog? Do you have important things to do? You are condeming people like AM alias Zambian Abroad of using vernacular. Kayata, from your comments someone can tell that you’re brain washed by whites. You must come out of it man. Try to coment like M.Daka,KC,Jude and Dr Maswahu. Kayata, I request you to take a break.
Mudala Wakatenzi, stop being a bully,Kayata is just being realistic,how long has the corruption crusade taken?How many people have been jailed in those years?This is so because of serious intereference by the President, he directs everybody and chooses who should be prosecuted , there is no judicial independence like we have seen else where,its time things were streamlined if at all anything meaningful will have to bear fruit.
Mudala wafimofimo, its you who’s surposed to take a break. Your coments are like coming from a person addicted to some else. Please, leave Kayata alone.
The fight against the corruption should not be left to politicians. We should not,for instance,regard the fight against corruption as LPM’s battle which we will end with his reign.
The question each one of us should be asking is that: what is my role in this fight? We should report any corrupt practice we come and be ready to testify in court. We should not despise “whistle blowers”. People should not feel guilty if they have not given something to any civil servant/public officer attendig to them, such as police officers, passport officers, clinical officers,land officers,national registration officers, head masters etc.They are paid to do their work.Their meagre salaries should not be an excuse. Further we should not have any mind set of knowing some one at at company or institution that advertises for jobs. It is possible to get a job without knowing someone.
If we change our perspective of corruption, we will help in the fight against this seeming insurmountable vice.
Sam K and Kuku,Thanks. You see, the problem with Mudala Wafimofimo,is that he has not yet recovered from his schizophrenia. We can not return him to Zimbabwe yet, despite his behaviour of a Taliban. Instead of commenting on the topic, his mental disorder has become disorganised. Probably his Dr…. has gone away with his medication.
While I would usually support the idea of hiring local experts rather than Westerners in this fight, it also is true that any serious corruption problem must be attacked on many fronts. Two of the greatest needs we need, are to recreate an entrepreneur-ial class by making lean the bloated civil service, and to mount an across-the-board attack on a pervasive culture of corruption.
That last problem requires multiple approaches. We need to create a financial intelligence unit (FIU) within AG’s office to track money laundering and other forms of financial crime because in my mind ACC,DEC lacks credibility and stamina as they only rise to the occasion when issues become exposed. Seriously there is need for reorganization, creation of the right incentives, and recognition of local customs regarding personal interaction, not the kind of attitude being portrayed by PSs who view these reviews as witch hunt against their gloss carelessness and greed.Selective pursuits must
come to an end
Chilumba, i support your views. But i think the major problem we are facing is we lack love for one another. A country is rated by how it treats it’s citizens. Considering all that, what is the President doing about Michael Mabenga, Katele Kalumba and group? Why has he allowed them to be in his group as in govt? Yet he says he is disappointed with ACC? How long is the Task Force going to take to complete it’s investigation’s? Then hes should be disappointed with Task Force too,one which he setup himself.And why even setup a Task Force when there is ACC already to deal with such cases?Duplication of job roles,Bureaucracy,Greed,Selfishness,and not knowing how to win public support. “I’ll catch the thief who stole your money, but he is still money too.”
If there was to be any reorganisation, i think it should start from family homes, so as any person in power or office has feelings for the public, than just regarding your service as “who works in the farm,eats from the farm”
Kayata , I agree with you ,I think the starting point will be to empower communities and I welcome the introduction of Parlaimentary offices in districts because this is the only way people will be sentised about governance issues affecting our country.It is clear from onset that creation of Task force was ill mouted to soley fight FTJ and cohorts in order to win public support.If you were to gou round constituencies for their understanding of what an MP must do very few people will provide answers and this is why even the constitution making process it has not filtered to grass root that well,80% donot seem to understand its application and why they should be part and parcel of it when it is only viewd to favor afew characters.MP’s have alot to do interms reorganisation expalantion of policies and by and large be accountable to their electorate.
M Daka please visit the web http://www.ukzambians.co.uk and listen to live interview by Clottey with Mulongoti concerning LPM’s fight against corruption.
Secondly you enquired who the lawyers were in the vulture fund , this is also listed in one of the articles and they are the one representing Zambia in the FTJ case whose judgement comes on 2/05/07
Have fun
Chilumba, you are right on. However, I wish to add to your analysis by way of saying, we can still empower ACC and DEC effectively. The Financial Crimes Unit should, as a matter of fact, be part of DEC. All we need is to create the institutional capacity for DEC to operate efficiently. Interference from politicians must be eliminated. This unit should report either to the Auditor General’s office or a Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Security. We can achieve this if we have the political and social will. If we can fund the Task force on corruption, I sure think we can streghen the operating capacities of these other vital institutions.
KC aka wafimofimo, Afternoon are always great for you,that is a well thought of contribution,Rupia Banda is appealing for suggestions from people like you to help with governance issues.Check http://www.ukzambians.co.uk. Keep it up Mudala wakatenzi but where is your counterpart Dr.M?
Ba Chilumba, one last time, I am not Wakatenzi
Francis, I never enquired about which lawyers were in the vulture fund.My comments on the vulture that have been that the person responsible for all this is no other than FJT and that he should tell the nation what he knows about this issue as he was the leader of the nation. I further stated that Emmanuel Kasonde should not be blamed because he was not the President. The logic is simple; just as people are blaming LPM for the mine accidents instead of the person in charge of that ministry, FJT should take the blame for the Vulture Fund. How could the people we owed money have spent further money by donating the FJT housing project.
On the issue which you have brought out; I stated that at least Hon. Kunda helped through his evidence to have the Donogeal claim reduced. As for the lawyers who represented Zambia, my view is that they did a great job to contest the case. If this claim arose during the FJT “wasted decade” Zambia could have paid the all claim without contesting it.
KC, there is a psycho on the blog called Mudala Wakatenzi and he uses your name, if you read through some suggestions, you’ll find that other people have refered to you as Mudala Waka… cos Wakatenzi introduces himself as KC aka Mudala Wakatenzi. Sometimes,he would write Mudala Wakatenzi ID KC. I advise you to tell Wakatenzi that this is not a rehabilitation unit and he seems to be addicted to other people.
KC, Kayata proved to you that you identify yourself by both these ids.Its time we knew who you are. Be genuine and you are not achieving anything by being elusive.Those KK times were such practices were prevalent are gone.So let us know you by the correct id, if you are KC fine and stick to that.
Mwevantu..Do you seriously think the ACC can be “allowed” to work in Zed???..with all the meddeling politicians who act on behalf of the people they are supposed to be apprehending..(I suppose we could call it a way of LOBBYING)…
Corruption is cancer not only in Zambia but the world as a whole. The problems we have in the fight against the vice are selective application of the law and Duplication of labor. First you are in LPM’s inner circle you are considered safe at least for now .But a time will come and not too far from now when LPM and his cohorts will dance to the music. Considering his health I don’t think he will run the course. We are running three parallel institutions (Task force, ACC and DEC) what is confusing for most of us living in Diaspora is to hear DEC arresting people for allegedly supplying Umwela (air) to Mopani mines. Isn’t this surely an ACC/Police duty? The next president needs to dissolve the task force, strengthen ACC and realign DEC to the very cause that led to its formation. The fight against corruption should be everyone’s fight. I hope the next president will bring prudence to the fight.
ZRA, ACC partner to curb corruption
By KASUBA MULENGA
ZAMBIA Revenue Authority (ZRA) has partnered with the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and other Government agencies to fight corruption among their workers.
The partnership has since created an institutional integrity committee that will enhance the fight against corruption among workers and improve their ethical conduct.
ZRA commissioner-general, Chriticles Mwansa, said at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that ZRA and its partners wanted to enhance the fight against the scourge.
“We are committed to fighting corruption at three levels.
Firstly, we are working with all members of staff to inculcate a sense of responsibility among our staff on issues bordering on ethical behaviour,” Mr Mwansa said.
ZRA revised its code of ethics that would serve as a guide regarding employees’ behaviour.
Mr Mwansa said ZRA had put in place systems that would help to easily identify workers engaged in corrupt practices.
Mr Mwansa said ZRA would see to it that once culprits were identified, they were thoroughly investigated.
He said ZRA was strengthening its internal affairs unit to enable it effectively investigate all corruption cases in ZRA.
Mr mwansa said ZRA had also introduced the Taxpayer Charter through which it had guaranteed customers the service they should expect from it.
He said ZRA was developing a tax calculator on motor vehicles and Pay As You Earn.
Mr Mwansa said it was important that there was enhanced networking locally and internationally and inter linkages that helped to improve ZRA’s capability to deal with increased trade and business complexities.
He said the fragmentation of the business community and different Government agencies had resulted in wastage of efforts and resources.
Mr Mwansa said this could be redressed by strengthening and streamlining inter-institutional linkages to enhance the flow of information and creation of a sustainable growth environment that assured Government of predictable revenue collection and investment levels.
Mr Mwansa also bemoaned the poor state of infrastructure at some border points that were built when Zambia’s economy was still small.
He, however, said Government was building infrastructure at borders like Chirundu and Katima Mulilo.
Mr Mwansa also said Government was committed to ensuring that there was a dry port at Nakonde border.
Mr Mwansa said Government, the United States of America, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the World Customs Organisation were implementing a ‘one stop border post’ initiative that would enable travellers and cargo to exit one country and enter another in a single secure facility.
Government was also in the process of procuring a non-intrusive inspection system that would increase capacity of inspection for targeted traffic and provide great input in the building of profile for risk-based controls.
The initiative would provide ZRA with greater quality of inspection in about 30 minutes maximum period per truck.