Zimbabwe has lost more than $60 billion through corruption- MP says

The other issue which concerns me is that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development declared to this House a couple of weeks ago that US$500m worth of duty free certificates were issued to Government agencies. The two principal agencies involved in this trade was the President’s Office and the military. It covers all sorts of things but it includes large amounts of fuel and even bulk consignments of alcohol. I have evidence which I have taken to ZIMRA and given to them that these goods are being sold on commercial markets in Zimbabwe but coming into the country duty free. Mr. Speaker Sir, this kind of thing – duty free of US$500m a year, that is a lot of money. This simply should not be allowed to happen.

We have the problem of the abuse of public funds. I sit on the Public Accounts Committee and there is not one Statutory Fund account that we have examined in the last 4 years which is being operated properly. Every single fund, we find the Permanent Secretary or the Chief Executive Officer has got his fingers in the till. The latest disclosure about ZIMDEF involving Ministers in this House is just a tip of the iceberg. I can add ZINARA – the chief executive officer of ZINARA was arrested the other day on a US$1.4m scam at ZINARA. He was immediately released by the Vice President, Hon. Mphoko and has not been subsequently charged.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order! We need to be very careful with the facts we are talking here. If you are asked to substantiate that, you need to be very careful.

HON. CROSS: Yes, I can substantiate that. I look at the total value of the statutory funds, last year in the Bluebook they were declared at US$828m. That is a lot of money. It is 20% of the National Budget and none of that money goes through this House. None of that money is subject to budget. None of that money is allocated by this House. None of that money is subject to detailed scrutiny by this House. We have said to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, it is time that these monies were consolidated into the Consolidated Revenue Fund where they can be properly accounted for because the Government’s accounting principles are working well.

For example, last week we interviewed a Permanent Secretary running a fund worth US$30m in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. This fund is much bigger than the budget of the Ministry which is US$7m.

 *HON. CHINOTIMBA: On a point of order. If I heard Hon. Cross clearly, he is saying Ministers were involved in the ZIMDEF issue. Is it all Ministers? If it is one or two Ministers, he should not blanket to say all Ministers were involved. He should give us real facts. I thank you.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. You may continue Hon. Member.

HON. CROSS: These funds more than 100 of them are badly administered and managed. In the case of the fund involving the Weights and Measures Act, there were no accounting procedures in place even though this fund has been in existence for some years.

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