27 JUNE 2019

The Executive Director of the Association of Certified Forensic Practitioners

Honourable Ministers here present

Honourable Members of Parliament here present

Permanent Secretaries and Other Senior Government Officials

The Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies

Heads of Parastatals and State Enterprises

CEO’s and Senior Management from Private Sector Entities

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations and The Media

Distinguished Participants

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is for me a great honour and indeed a pleasure to have been invited to be the Guest of Honour, and to officially open this Conference dedicated to the subject of Fraud and, of course, to the scourge of corruption more broadly : a scourge which, we have to acknowledge, has imbedded itself so deeply within our society and within our country that few if indeed any aspect of our day-to-day lives remains unaffected thereby or free of its distortions.

It is a scourge which I personally and which the Administration I lead are fully, one-hundred-percent committed to eradicating.

Our approach, from the very onset of the Second Republic, has been Zero Tolerance to Corruption. Progress has been slower than we would have wanted – a reflection NOT of a lack of political will needed to advance the combat against this evil : for I can assure you that the will is there : but a reflection, rather, of the stubborn, self-interested resistance we have met and which, initially at any rate, has tended to impede progress and undermine our good intentions.

That, in turn, is a reflection of how deep the rot has reached; how the beneficiaries of that rot are able to manoeuvre and manipulate the system to their advantage, to keep ahead of law enforcement, weaken the justice system and, in so doing, to continue their nefarious activities, cheating the Government and the people of Zimbabwe.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

The slow pace of progress is also a reflection – to some extent anyway – of the level of sophistication and complexity which the corrupt amongst us have brought to bear, so as to mask their crimes, cover their tracks and confound our law enforcement officials.

How many times have we read that the case against Individual X has “failed to take off”, or has been suspended “on a technicality”, or has been dismissed for lack of evidence hard enough to secure a conviction?

Is this carelessness, incompetence or is it, once again, the ugly face of corruption at work?

Our assessment is that, most likely, it is a combination of all three.

Whatever the explanation, it is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

And so today’s Conference and its focus on Fraud is not only welcome, but timely : in that it coincides neatly with the enhanced efforts my Administration is making in the fight against corruption : and will assist in focusing attention ever more strongly on the need for us all – each and every one of us – to play our part in exorcising this evil from our midst.

As far as I am aware, our gathering today constitutes the first time that all stakeholders, representing both public and private sectors, academia, civil society, the media, law enforcement agencies and the legal fraternity more broadly have come together : with the objective of creating greater awareness and a deeper understanding of FRAUD in all its sinister forms and, more importantly, to appreciate the negative impact it has on the national economy.

Fraud and corruption more broadly occurs when transparency is lacking, where oversight is weak and, more often than not, where pure avarice comes to the fore, cancelling out what most Zimbabweans know to be right and correct.

And this is something which continues to trouble me and my Administration more generally.

We are an educated nation: we are a God-fearing nation : we place a high value on family values, on respecting and learning from our parents. We know the difference between right and wrong: and so, when we stray from the path of righteousness and when we cross the line into corruption, it is without doubt a conscious decision. We choose to be corrupt.

That is the sickness which has lodged itself within our society and, as I have said, it will require the efforts of each one of us – mothers, fathers, teachers, pastors, managers, media practitioners and, of course, Government, to remove it.

That is our collective challenge. A corruption-free society must be our collective objective.

The alternative – if we simply carry on as we are doing now – is yet further corrosion within society, further distortions within our economy, further damage to our image and to “Brand Zimbabwe”, and yet further hardships for all Zimbabweans, but most especially for the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us.

Corruption and the greed which fuels it undermine our efforts at economic reform, at balancing our budget; they undermine our efforts to address the ease and cost of doing business challenges which are regularly sited as impediments to trade and investment; they undermine our efforts to rebrand and re-market Zimbabwe as a nation where foreign investment is welcome and safe; they undermine progress towards our National Vision – that of a middle-income economy by 2030.

Just as importantly, the scourge of fraud, the theft of public funds and the seeming impotence of our law-enforcement agencies and the justice system more broadly to effectively stop such practices serves to further erode public trust and confidence in Government and its institutions.

When the general citizenship loses faith in those they have elected to govern them; when greed, theft and corruption become as rooted as they are within our country, that corruption and the public disaffection it generates can evolve into an issue of national security – fomenting social disunity, discontent and even leading to civil unrest.

We have seen it occur in other parts of the world. We cannot afford to see it happen here in Zimbabwe.

And so we must do more, more quickly and more effectively to respond to the legitimate concerns of our people with regard to tackling corruption head-on; holding the corrupt fully accountable for their misdeeds; and ensuring that the wealth and assets accumulated by the corrupt on the basis of their avarice, are seized and forfeited to the State as part-restitution for their crimes.

In parallel with such restitution must, of course, come retribution. Those found guilty of such corruption must be sanctioned – where they can reflect upon the consequences of their greed and the shame and misfortune that that greed has brought upon themselves and their families.

Since the advent of the Second Republic, Government has done much to strengthen existing legislation and to introduce additional laws to boost our anti-corruption drive. Significant amendments have been made to tighten-up mandatory reporting and oversight requirements in laws such as

• The Public Finance Management Act
• The Insolvency Act
• The Audit Act
• The Public Entities Corporate Governance Act
• The Companies Act
• The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, and
• The Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act

among others.

We are also working on a Whistle-blower’s Act – to encourage and to protect those who see evil being done and would wish to stop it.

We are in the final stages of appointing Commissioners to the Anti-Corruption Commission; we are strengthening the Office of the Prosecutor General; and we are building capacity in key oversight Agencies such as the Auditor General’s Office, the Accountant General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.

We are seeking assistance from international partners to build investigative capacity within key components of our law-enforcement agencies – those tasked with investigating and building solid, evidence-based cases against the corrupt : cases which will hold up in Court and lead to conviction and, where the Court so-decides, incarceration and the forfeiture of assets.

No more impunity: no more excuses!

The corrupt must be brought to book.

I have already said that this fight against corruption is not one that Government can wage alone. All of us – including all of you here today – have a role to play and I urge you, in your deliberations, to work towards a Plan of Action, identifying roles and responsibilities for the various sectors represented here and indicating how we – that is to say Government and yourselves – collectively, can intensify our common battle against the evil of corruption.

Together, we can and must make a difference.

Executive Director, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me conclude by thanking you once again for affording me this opportunity to share with you my thoughts on what is for me, personally, and for my Administration an issue which continues to be of deep concern; and one which must be effectively addressed if we are to attain the ambitious growth and development objectives we have set ourselves.

I look forward, therefore, to the outcome of your deliberations and pledge that my Administration will work in close co-operation with you all in our common battle to free our society and our nation from all forms of corruption.

With these words, allow me to declare this First Fraud Conference officially open and to wish you every success.

I Thank You