Lusaka ~ Tuesday, 19 July 2022
By Brightwell Chabusha
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has told off UPND deputy secretary general Gertrude Imenda that she has no authority to give directions to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
This follows Ms Imenda’s suggestion as reported by News Diggers that the ACC should act on the old corruption.
The suggestion has however baffled TI-Z as the organization Executive Director Maurice Nyambe said what the latter is suggesting is an incredibly flawed approach.
Mr Nyambe said the suggestion will not only exacerbate “the cancer that is corruption and fuel it further,” but also serve as a leeway for entrenchment of impunity.
“Moreover, Ms. Imenda has no mandate whatsoever to direct the ACC on how they should operate, and her statement is therefore devoid of any legal, moral or logical basis,” he said.
“There is existing evidence that anti-corruption interventions often collapse as a result of infiltration in implementation processes. Dealing with past corruption alone allows individuals and institutions who have been tasked with monitoring and enforcing punishments on the corrupt to learn how to manipulate new systems of tackling corruption and get away with it.”
Mr Nyambe has however called for a dual-pronged approach to fighting corruption.
He urged the UPND administration not to adopt the cavalier approach being suggested by Ms. Imenda to the fight against corruption.
The organisation Executive Director explained that it is through approaches like this that anti-corruption initiatives that start well, fail miserably in the end.
He challenged the UPND to categorically state whether Ms. Imenda’s comments represent the official position of the UPND as a party.
“TI-Z is calling on the UPND not to abandon the promises they made to the Zambian people about their commitment to fighting corruption rationally and in a manner that will not only enable us to hold those responsible for past corruption to account, but also to simultaneously tackle any corruption that may be occurring at present,” he said.
“Only with such an approach are we going to start dismantling the entrenched nature of corruption, and consequently secure the country’s meagre resources for current and future development needs.”
And Mr Nyambe said the TI-Z is confident that the ACC will dismiss Ms. Imenda’s suggestion with the contempt it deserves.