HARARE - Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa Chinamasa was speaking in Parliament in response to a question by Kambuzuma legislator Willias Madzimure who had asked the minister whether he knew that Zimbabwe was breaching provisions of the United Nations Convention on Corruption ratified by all member states dictating that every country must have an effective board to deal with graft. “Can the Minister inform this House what has delayed the process of putting together an Anti Corruption Commission considering that we have prominent cases like the Asia Gate,” Madzimure said.
The AsiaGate is a local soccer scandal that has shaken the football mother body ZIFA. The scandal has caused the sacking of ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya after a tribunal found her guilty of failing to account for a loan made to ZIFA of US$103 000 and authorising a 2008 trip to Malaysia where local premier soccer side Monomotapa masqueraded as the Zimbabwe national team.
The GNU has vowed to tackle graft, especially by top officials, but analysts say the failure to establish an anti-corruption commission has exposed the administrations half-hearted commitment to fighting corruption. Chinamasa told the House of Assembly that GNU principals were still grappling with the issue of who to appoint to the anti-corruption body. He said. “It is correct to say that there has been a delay which has been as a result of firstly; the Anti-Corruption Commission’s appointment is different in terms of procedures from the other Commissions which came through this House. Also the people to be appointed should be full time.
“Therefore this means that we are looking for people who will be objective and will not use corruption as a political weapon. The consultations have been wide ranging and deep and this has made the process more protracted.
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