Nhau News Online News that is accurate, reliable, trustworthy!!
By Purity Marungisa
Embattled Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has quickly leaped to defend its failure to avail financial records requested by the Auditor General Mildred Chisi, blaming the impasse on legacy issues at the establishment.
In a statement from spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure seen by Nhau, the corruption watchdog acknowledged that its books between 2012 and 2019 were not in order but efforts were being made to correct past anomalies without fingering anyone.
“The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission takes note of the comments raised in the Auditor General Ms Mildred Chiri’s latest report stating that the Commission failed to furnish her office with supporting documentation for payment of goods and services, and other substantial disbursements…Zacc acknowledges that its books for the period 2012-2019 were not in order owing to legacy issues, which are now an issue of the past.
“Without casting aspersions on previous Commissions that did a sterling job in setting up ZACC in its infancy and ensuring that there was an operational structure, the Commission wishes to reassure Zimbabweans that that is doing everything in its power to correct the previous wrongs blighting its current work,” Commissioner Makamure said.
According to Chiri’s 2020 audit report on state enterprises and parastatals, Zacc failed to account for state funds worth millions of United States dollars since 2012 as its financials are in shambles.
“There were no supporting documents availed in the form of invoices or supplier statements to validate expenditure and payables amounting to US$2 064 864 and US$417 138 respectively presented in the financial statements,” read part of the report.
The corruption watchdog has raised public ridicule with some sections of the public saying it is a mere toothless bulldog as most high profile arrests it makes end up in smoke as the perpetrators are not convicted at the courts of law.
In October last year former Health minister Obadiah Moyo was acquitted on corruption charges after his legal representative Tawanda Zhuwarara successfully argued that his charges on how he influenced the awarding of a tender to Drax International were not clear when the tender processes were done by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ). Nhau/Indaba
