Maravi

TIZ calls for evaluation of fight against corruption

TIZ calls for evaluation of fight against corruption
Written by Maluba Jere
Monday, January 05, 2009 6:10:08 PM

TRANSPARENCY International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka has called for an urgent evaluation of the fight against corruption in Zambia.

And Lifuka has advised President Rupiah Banda not to hesitate in dismissing all government officials found to be corrupt or engaging in any unscrupulous activities.

Reviewing 2008, Lifuka noted the need to strengthen existing strategies in the fight against corruption or the withdrawal of those tactics that were not working well in the whole process.

“Government, together with other stakeholders, should conduct an evaluation of the performance of the fight against corruption and that commitment should be made to strengthen what is working well and do away with what is not working well,” Lifuka said.

“This should be an objective evaluation which will help the country move from simply talking about fighting corruption to taking practical steps to deal with the scourge.”

He also called for the urgent domestication of the UN Convention against corruption by enacting legislation that would allow the country take advantage of the progressive provisions, especially in assets recovery.

Lifuka further emphasised the need for an urgent review of the legal position on the Task Force on Corruption.

“We would like to see that the necessary legal framework for the Task Force is put in place and ensure that it is accountable to the public for all its actions,” Lifuka said.

“Further, we would like to see sufficient resources provided by government to the Anti-Corruption Commission, Taskforce and other agencies so that all high profile cases on corruption are concluded as soon as possible. Additionally, government should provide funding for corruption prevention activities.”

And Lifuka challenged President Banda to run a clean government, saying there should be no sacred cows.

“We challenge President Rupiah Banda to ensure that his government takes timely and decisive action against all those found wanting and reported in the Auditor General's Office,” he said. “We would like to see action taken against permanent secretaries, specifically those controlling officers who have failed to deal with corruption in their ministries.”

He also demanded the establishment of audit committees in each ministry and government agency as required by the law.

Lifuka further called on President Banda to clean up the public service and get rid of government officials who were squeezing bribes from everyone, including investors.

He further said the appointment of a bloated cabinet did not help instill confidence in the public that the administration of President Banda was serious about fighting misuse of public resources and general abuse of power.

He said very little had been done in the fight against corruption, which he said was inherent in the public service despite many cries among Zambians.

On TIZ's expectations for this year as regards the fight against corruption, Lifuka said the law should be followed on public procurement procedures, especially in the importation of crude oil.

He also urged the government to hasten the process of transforming the Zambia National Tender Board (ZNTB) into a public procurement authority that would have a broader mandate to oversee all public procurement.

“We want to urge that President Banda should stay away from this. We do not want a repeat of what we saw under the late President Mwanawasa on oil importation,” he said. “State House should not become a procurement centre. We demand that the law is followed and Zambia National Tender Board be given the support to do its work professionally.

Lifuka further asked the government to account for all the resources utilised during the illness of late President Mwanawasa as well as on the state funeral, saying it was the government's obligation to do so because public resources were utilised during the whole process.

And Lifuka described 2008 as a year which had sparkles and blemishes.

He added that the progress of concluding numerous corruption cases before the courts of law had remained slow.

Lifuka observed that the long and drawn out process of prosecuting high profile corruption cases had become expensive given the inordinate delays.

He said the delays had made a number of people to question the efficacy of the whole fight against corruption.

“The problems at the Drug Enforcement Commission following the charges preferred against the two top officers in that institution were also another drawback and put a damper on the important role that DEC plays especially in dealing with money laundering,” he said.

“Further, the handling of the retirement of former director general at the Anti-Corruption Commission Mr Nixon Banda was poor and unprofessional and simply confirmed the need for the ACC to be strengthened as an independent watchdog institution. Similarly, in the year in question, the Auditor General's office continued to present information that points to a worsening situation in the management and stewardship of public resources especially by the Public Sector.”

Labels: CORRUPTION, RUEBEN LIFUKA, TIZ

posted by MrK @ 6:11 PM