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Institutionalise Task Force – TIZ

Institutionalise Task Force – TIZ
Written by Margaret Mtonga
Sunday, March 22, 2009 6:34:14 PM

TRANSPARENCY International Zambia (TIZ) executive director Goodwell Lungu yesterday advised the government to institutionalise the Task Force on Corruption to maintain the momentum in the fight against corruption.

Commenting on the government's recent adoption of the Anti Corruption policy, Lungu said the Task Force on Corruption should be supported because they had achieved unprecedented convictions in the history of the country.

Lungu said there was need to turn the Task Force on Corruption into a specialised agency with a sole purpose of dealing with grand corruption in the country.

"Our inclination on the Task Force on Corruption has been the same. We cannot run away from the fact that it has done tremendously well on current convictions in the country. Therefore, the government should ensure that they broaden and expand its existence," Lungu said.

He said it was prudent for the government to offer support to the Task Force on Corruption to enhance its operations for more positive results.

"As TIZ, we are sure that the repealing of the Anti-Corruption Act will not lead to the disbanding of the Task Force on Corruption," Lungu said. "The Task Force on Corruption was established in order to help the existing law enforcement agencies as they had limited capacity to investigate corruption cases. The momentum that the Task Force on Corruption has gained will definitely be lost if it is disbanded.

"If you look at the existing law enforcement agencies such as Anti-Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission and the Zambia Police in the country, [they] do not have the capacity to deal with these corruption cases. And they have still not shown any capacity to do so, hence the sustaining of the Task Force on Corruption," he said.

Lungu said there would be a gap in the fight against corruption in the absence of the Task Force on Corruption.

Labels: TASK FORCE, TIZ

posted by MrK @ 6:34 PM