By Farai D Hove| As the Zimbabwean government was last week criticised for arresting politicians from the G40 faction, the state has announced the setting up of an Anti Corruption Court.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has facilitated for the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to set up the country’s first ever anti-corruption courts, the timing of which means former Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo and former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi are likely to be the first “trialists.”
They are set to be set up in all Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces and will deal with corruption cases alone.
So far, the JSC has set up the Commercial Court.
This was revealed during the officially opening the 2018 legal year at the Bulawayo High Court yesterday.
Judge of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza announced saying the courts should be operational in the first three months of this year. Justice Gwaunza said, “in his inaugural speech after being sworn in, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa adverted to the scourge of corruption in Zimbabwe.
“He emphasised that his Government will have a zero tolerance policy towards corruption. In the same spirit, the JSC has since embarked on a journey to eliminate corruption by establishing specialised anti-corruption courts in each of the ten provinces in Zimbabwe.”
Justice Gwaunza, quoted by the state media, said the courts will be established in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Prosecuting Authority, the office of the Attorney General, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.
It was also announced that Mutare is to have its own High Court following the opening of the Masvingo one last year.
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