Chombo says unaware of corrupt officials

Says ready to prosecute corrupt govt officials … Home Affairs Minister Ignatuius Chombo

However, Chombo said he was not aware of any specific names but was willing to act as soon as he was.

Government’s chief auditor has been producing successive reports which have uncovered massive embezzlement of funds year in, year out but the state has been reluctant to act.

Asked in parliament last week if government was willing to act on the auditor general’s reports, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed surprise as to why the country’s police force was yet to arrest the culprits.

“The responsibility of the police is to arrest these corrupt people and whosoever was involved in these corrupt activities should be arrested. The policemen should do their duty,” Mnangagwa said before he referred the question to Chombo.

On his part, Chombo sounded too casual telling parliament his ministry would look for the auditor general’s reports and start tracking down the alleged culprits.

“I also did not get the report but now that the report is said to be out and has specific names of accusations of the specific individuals who committed the crimes,” Chombo said.

He added, “As soon as we finish this business, I will look for the report and ask the ZRP to track all those people and arrest them according to the charges that were presented therein.”

However, many would be quick to question Chombo’s sincerity as the current Robert Mugabe led administration has often been accused of deliberate failure to prosecute Zanu PF loyalists for various crimes.

Many state departments including ZESA, ZBC and the PSMAS have been looted by known public officials who have never been prosecuted. Chombo himself has been linked to many scandals to deal with land.

President Mugabe has often said police did not have enough evidence to effect any arrests on his corrupt followers although the same government has never hesitated to prosecute opposition politicians suspected of committing similar crimes.

Mugabe has also been quick to dislodge those perceived to be eying his job in his own party even without any trace of evidence implicating them.