Makarau warns of corruption in judiciary

Makarau warns of corruption in judiciary

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By Staff Reporter

A SENIOR Zimbabwean judge urged the government on Monday to step up funding for the country's crumbling judiciary to halt burgeoning corruption in courts.

Judge-President of the High Court Rita Makarau said: "Reports have reached my office and the office of the chief justice that support staff are engaging in corrupt practices."

"While these reports are alarming one can understand without excusing such conduct. Salaries for support staff are not commensurate with their place in the administration of justice.

"Judging from the paltry funds that are allocated to it, it is my view that the place and role of the judiciary in this country is under-estimated."

Zimbabwe is in the throes of a meltdown with more than 1 000% inflation and an acute shortage of essential goods, staples and fuel.

The judiciary is reeling under multiple woes, including insufficient stationery, under-stocked libraries, lack of transport and funding which have been blamed for an upsurge in corruption involving court officials.

Makarau said she was sad that she had to resort to begging for more money.

"Yet if I do not do so today, the judiciary shall continue to operate without computers, without adequate stationery and to use libraries that the chief magistrate has aptly described as varying in their degrees of uselessness."

The justice ministry has been also hit by a staff exodus as magistrates and prosecutors who have joined the private sector or gone overseas.

Prisoners meanwhile often suffer from water-borne diseases and skin infections in overpopulated jails. In some cases, prison authorities have failed to transport inmates to court for trial because of fuel shortages. - Sapa
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