7 November 2009
A CROSS-section of stakeholders have praised Government for the decision to disband the Taskforce on Corruption because it was a drain on national resources.
They said in separate interviews yesterday that it was justified to disband the Taskforce because the expenditure was far above what has been recovered.
The Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) said the disbanding of the Taskforce on Corruption was a step in the right direction because it had failed to yield desirable results in its operations, but instead, it had become a cost to the nation.
AVAP Executive Director Bonnie Tembo said in an interview that the fact that the Taskforce had failed to yield desirable results in recovering plundered resources was a clear indication that it was not necessary and therefore its disbanding was a right decision.
And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary general Roy Mwaba said it was good that the institution was disbanded because it had become a drain to the Government.
He said the institution was set up as an ad-hoc arrangement and people expected it to expedite investigations and prosecution of cases, which it did not do.
Mr Mwaba said, instead the Taskforce on Corruption became politicised and the money it recovered ended up in the pockets of people who were at the helm of the institution, instead of taking it to the treasury.
He said the institution, which was not backed by law had even undermined the efforts of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) since it was reporting directly to the president.
He said since the Taskforce on Corruption had made some recoveries, it had outlived its usefulness and all its cases should be taken up by the ACC which was a legal entity.
Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka commended the Government for disbanding the Taskforce on Corruption saying the exercise was too costly.
The chief called on the Auditor General's office to audit all Government institutions which were overspending national resources in order to enrich themselves at the expense of development of the country.
He said it was sad that the people who were tasked to fight corruption under the Taskforce only wanted to enrich themselves.
And Copperbelt Show Society chairman Bill Osborn said having the Taskforce and the ACC to do the same job was a waste of resources and it was good that Government had decided to disband the Taskforce and bring it under the ACC.
Forum for Leadership Search (FLS) said that the disbandment of the Taskforce on Corruption was long overdue because people had complained about its continued existence.
FLS executive director Edwin Lifwekelo said the revelation that the Government spent more than the recoveries was just a tip of the iceberg because there was a lot to be revealed if the institution was to be audited.
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