PRESS RELEASE
October 06, 2022
ACC & DEC GROSSLY ABUSING THE LAW ON “FORFEITURE OF PROCEEDS OF CRIME.”
It is accepted that corruption is heavily entrenched in Zambia at all the levels of society. It will only take a genuine fight against corruption to produce genuine results. It’s is endemic and it must be stopped forthwith.
As a party, we support the fight against corruption that is free from malice, vindictiveness, vengeance and personal emotions. Those that are found to be corrupt by the courts of law must be punished to the full extent of the prescribed law.
However it is our view that, ACC and DEC are using the law on forfeiture to hide their half baked, lazy and haphazard investigations chiefly to please the appointing authority and succumb to the wishes of the party in power.
It’s reckless to have a law that only suspects and forfeits someone’s property before evidence is adduced in court. The result is persecution and witch hunt. And this same law is in a country were state institutions are known to be used to settle political scores.
It is imperative that the law be amended to place a “RESTRICTION” on the suspected proceeds of crime and “FORFEITURE” be left to the COURTS OF LAW upon conviction. Currently ACC and DEC are acting as an INVESTIGATOR, PROSECUTOR and JUDGE at the same time.
As much as we hate corruption, peoples reputations are being ruined by the state before the court finds them guilty. This is a travesty of justice and must be fixed immediately by amending the relevant Statutes.
GPZ, For Good Governance.
Silavwe Jackson
President
GPZ.