Zimbabwe establishes anti-corruption commission

2011-09-03 00:05:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

HARARE (BNO NEWS) -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has sworn in an anti-corruption commission in an effort to stem graft across the country, local media reported on Friday.

The nine-member Anti-Corruption Commission took the oath of office before Mugabe at State House in the capital of Harare on Thursday, according to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). The commissioners were drawn from various fields such as administration and law enforcement.

The commission, which will carry out intelligence gathering and surveillance of corruption prone areas, was created to implement the government's anti-corruption policies. It is tasked to ensure that alleged offenders are prosecuted and that costs are recovered or returned to the victim, which in most cases is the state.

The establishment of the commission is part of a coalition deal between the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and the ruling Zanu-PF that was made after disputes over the 2008 elections. Mugabe and his senior lieutenants have faced visa and financial restrictions since 2002 when the European Union, United States, Australia and New Zealand first imposed the targeted measures in retaliation to alleged human rights abuses and vote rigging by the Zimbabwean leader, who has ruled the country since 1987.

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The socialist elected dictator Mugabe hates competition.