Friday, March 29, 2024

Transparency International Zambia seeks to strengthen policy on corruption

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Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) SANCUS Project Coordinator, Tommy Singongi, has called for strengthening of the legal and policy framework that will make the country’s fight against corruption more effective.

Mr. Singongi said the lack of the Anti – Corruption policy has left a gap in strengthening the legal framework and enhancing the fight against corruption.

Mr. Singongi was speaking when the Anti- Agency Technical Working Group TWG) on the formulation of the National Anti- Corruption Policy paid a courtesy call on Central Province Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS), Godfrey Chitambala.

Mr. Singongi said the lack of the Anti – Corruption policy has made the fight against corruption seemingly ineffective.

“As Transparency International Zambia Chapter, The fight against corruption speaks to the core of our mandate, and so the lack of policy that has existed from 2009 to 2015 has created a gap in terms of how we strengthen the legal and policy framework to enhance the corruption fight,” Mr. Singongi said.

He said TIZ was happy to be associated with the technical group on the formulation of the Anti-Corruption National Policy and will ensure that the policy is developed in an inclusive manner.

And delegation leader Pelani Ndovi stated that the National Anti- Corruption Policy that was being formulated was a document that would inform the legal framework that will help government and all other bodies that fight corruption to do so systematically.

Mr. Ndovi said the policy will show sources of funds, resources that will be used, and whether there would be need for complete overhaul of the law or just amendments.

“This policy will inform us of the way to take so that at the end of the day the fight against corruption is successful,” Mr. Ndovi said.

Meanwhile, Central Province Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS), Geoffrey Chitambala, said corruption and economic crime is detrimental to national development processes.

Mr. Chitambala said the formulation of the National Anti-Corruption Policy will provide a framework for preventing and combating corruption in a comprehensive, coordinated, inclusive and sustainable manner.

“Previous efforts at the legal and institutional reforms have had very limited impact on the prevalence of corruption which range from petty bribes and misuse of state power at public goods and service delivery point, to the embezzlement and looting of national resources,” Mr Chitambala said.

Mr. Chitambala has since commended the new dawn government for the unwavering political-will it has shown in the quest to eliminate corruption.

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