President Banda has assented to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act number 38 of 2010 and warned that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.
The president has since assured the nation that the amendment of the Act had ensured that the fight against corruption had been strengthened.
Mr Banda said in a speech read for him by Vice-President George Kunda that section 38 of the ACC Act now covered everyone both from the public and the private sector as opposed to section 37 which only targeted civil servants.
“There are no sacred cows in the fight against corruption and as we fight corruption, we also do soul-searching of ourselves,” he said.
He said if a member of the civil society pays a civil servant to steal a document which is later given to a newspaper then that would be fighting corruption using corruption.
He said what the Government had done was to harmonise the laws and that they were now up to international practice because when amending Section 37 of the ACC Act research was conducted and it was not different from what obtains in Britain and other countries.
President Banda said Zambia was also making arrangements for the pending United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) peer review mechanism and that Transparency International Zambia was involved in the process.
He said in line with UNCAC, the country had launched the National Anti-Corruption Policy (NACP) to coordinate the corruption fight and at the same time a national steering committee chaired by the secretary to the Cabinet had been put in place to oversee the implementation.
To achieve the desired results, it would require that all Zambians took interest in anti-corruption work and support various institutions and individuals involved in the implementation of the NACP.
He said the institutionalising of the fight against corruption through integrity committees was a sign of Government’s desire to eliminate corruption through promotion of transparency and accountability leading to improved public service delivery.
Mr Banda said integrity committees had been set up at 17 institutions and were not limited to public institutions but it had been extended to private companies such as Konkola Copper Mines.
He said in 2008, the Government launched the public service code of ethics to instill professionalism in the public service while the Millennium Challenge Corporation report indicated that Zambia had made progress in controlling corruption.
The progress had been assessed as having improved from 71 per cent in 2009 and 74 per cent in 2010 to 77 per cent in 2011 although there was more work to be done.
Because political support was crucial to the fight against corruption the Government would continue to strengthen the ACC and other governance institutions in order to meet the UNCAC demands.
He said the Government had strengthened the Prohibition and Prevention of Money Laundering Act and had also enacted the forfeiture of proceeds of Crime Act to enhance the recovery of stolen public resources.
ACC director general Godfrey Kayukwa said the commission was satisfied there were now sufficient legal provisions to deal with public officials, private individuals and corporate bodies that engaged in corrupt practices.
Colonel Kayukwa said the fight against corruption required the involvement of head of State, senior Government officials and the people including civil society organizations.
United Nations Development Programme country director Viola Morgan said that corruption was a scourge that should be addressed because it affected fundamentals upon which the nation was built.
Meanwhile, ACC Copperbelt regional manager, Trevor Nyoni has called for concerted effort from all stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
Mr Nyoni said following Government’s launch of the implementation plan of the national anti-corruption policy which aims to harmonise strategies in the fight against corruption, there was need for participation of all stakeholders in its implementation in order to realise the desired results.
He was speaking in Kitwe yesterday during the commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day activities that were conducted in various localities of the city.
( Times of Zambia ]
Ubupupu nomba pa Zed is free for all
You can have a very nice wallfence but as long as you do not put a gate or an electric fence,thieves will still be encouraged to peep in or get inside and see wat they can salvage.In short Zambia has too many nice laws but useless and selective eventually,So the newly signed law by RB does not inspire anyone at all.
Who are you cheating, you shameless thief?!
I will reverse this ACC ACT and bring back section 37 in 2011 immediately after the elections. Dear patriotic zambians, don’t lose heart. 2011 is almost here. Make sure you have registered to vote, that is the only way to stop RB from assenting to such useless and toothless ACTs
Please note that from day of signing this Bill, Plunder is now legalized in Zambia. please plunder as much and as fast as you can! As President, RB is already doing his Plunder through various means, so just open your eyes and see the possible means, there are many by way!