The Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Committee (ZACC) commissioners who recently resigned will receive a ‘golden handshake’ from government, the Zim Morning Post has learnt.
Sources close to the goings-on revealed that government will fork out at least $1,4 million towards the payment of the commisioners.
The Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Energy Mutodi confirmed the development but could not state the figures.
“ The labour laws also apply to commissioners, obviously they are terminal benefits due either if one retires or resigns,” said Mutodi.
The Zim Morning Post also learnt that the contracts of the commissioners are yet to be terminated.
One of the commissioners who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that his contract was still running .
“ We are going to table our demands to the government because we still have running contracts and we can not just go home just like that ,”said the commissioner.
The commissioners are demanding to retain the vehicles they were using as a ‘thank you’ token.
“ I know some people might say that we do not deserve to get the packages we want but remember we all had contracts so we feel the government should honour our agreement since we delivered what they wanted us to do,” he added.
On January 31 2019, all the commissioners, headed by the chairman, John Wabhira resigned.
It had been reported earlier that month that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had summoned the commissioners and advised them they had been ineffective in investigating corruption.
The commissioners were alleged to be involved in corruption themselves.
ZACC has generally been viewed as largely ineffective in fighting corruption mostly because of some government officials and political interference in its work and financial suffocation which has reduced ZACC’s institutional independence.