The Civil Society Organisation, Community Action Against Corruption (CAAC), has raised concerns over the effectiveness of the current anti-corruption efforts, asserting that the focus on asset forfeiture rather than prosecuting cases in the courts may not yield meaningful results.
CAAC Executive Director Brightone Tembo notes recent statements from key figures in the fight against corruption, including the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Gilbert Phiri and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Board Chairperson Musa Mwenya, made during a Law Development Commission Seminar. Mr. Tembo has interpreted these statements as indications of a lack of expertise within government institutions tasked with combating corruption.
At the seminar, DPP Gilbert Phiri spoke of the difficulty of successfully prosecuting corruption cases in the courts without providing details on measures being implemented to address these challenges. On the other hand, Musa Mwenye stressed the forfeiture of assets from corruption suspects under non-prosecution orders, a strategy that Mr. Tembo has criticised as a weak approach to the fight against corruption.
Mr. Tembo concludes that the statements from these key figures suggest a friendly environment for corrupt individuals in the current anti-corruption landscape, with the ACC appearing to be user-friendly to those involved in corruption. He also expresses skepticism about the likelihood of high-profile convictions and suggested that Zambians may only witness the imprisonment of lower-level corrupt individuals due to the perceived ease of prosecuting their cases.
