Prevention and prosecution: Essential tool in the fight against corruption: A critical analysis of the Zambian case

Abstract

Over the years, there has been a great deal written on the subject of corruption globally and Zambia in particular. It has been acknowledged that corruption is an enemy of development and its effects are well documented. However, prevention and prosecution in the case of Zambia have not been analysed to determine their efficacy in the fight against corruption. For instance, since the inception of the Anti-Corruption Commission in the 1980s, prevention and prosecution strategies have been used to fight corruption in Zambia. But the extent to which these tools have been used in fighting corruption and their success is not documented. This paper attempts to critically analyze how prevention and prosecution strategies have been used in Zambia in fighting corruption because in every battle that is waged what matters are the weapons or tools that will be used. In the case of corruption, a crime of endemic proportions the strategies employed to fight it must be in line with international anti-corruption conventions such as the SADC Protocol Against Corrupfion, the African Union Convention Against Corruption and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. These international instruments contain best practices in fighting corruption which all the State Parties are required to adopt in their respective countries. These international instruments reflect the seriousness that the international community attaches to corruption. Other laws that have a bearing on the fight against corruption help in preventing corruption but their success depends on how they are co-ordinated. It is the author's sincere hope that this research will lead to a broadening of understanding of prevention and prosecution as essential tools that are used in fighting corruption in Zambia.