Prosecutor-General Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo has urged Zimbabweans to be patient as law enforcement agencies work through high-profile corruption cases.
Speaking on Thursday during a visit from newly appointed Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) commissioners to her office in Harare, she said that some cases take time because of the complexity and sophistication of the investigations.
To put things in perspective, she pointed to the case of late Nigerian President Sani Abacha, whose money laundering investigation took nearly 15 years to complete. Said Matanda-Moyo:
Well, high-profile matters have always been dealt with without political interference.
All we do is that, as you are aware, high-profile matters take time to investigate. Firstly, because of the complications of the evidence and once they are investigated, the prosecutors will take them to court.
If you look at cases like the Abacha’s scenario in Nigeria, they took 15 years to be completed. So, Zimbabweans need to be patient. Investigations will still be underway. Let us give our investigators time to investigate.
In Zimbabwe, there’s growing frustration among the public over how corruption cases, especially those involving high-profile figures, are being handled. Many people feel that the authorities either can’t or won’t take meaningful action.
More often than not, big names accused of corruption end up walking free, rarely facing any serious legal consequences.
This has given rise to what many now call the “catch and release” phenomenon, where suspects are arrested or charged, only for the cases to quietly disappear later.
A typical example is that of Ezra Chadzamira, the Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister. He was accused of grabbing land from a widow to build a private school.
Despite what appeared to be solid evidence, the case was removed from the court roll. That basically puts it on pause unless someone pushes to have it re-enrolled, a legal loophole that often leads to cases being dropped without much fuss.
Then there’s Hosiah Chisango, the former Harare Town Clerk. He faced corruption charges over dodgy procurement deals, but his case was dismissed in a move that many saw as highly questionable.
And businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who’s known for his close ties to powerful political figures, has had multiple corruption allegations thrown at him, ranging from shady government contracts to leaked audio tapes allegedly linking him to bribery, but avoided prosecution.
All of this has left many Zimbabweans feeling like there’s one set of rules for ordinary people and another for the well-connected.
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