THE PROSECUTORIAL DILEMMA
Photo Credit: Justin Mutenda The government of Zimbabwe recently announced its intention to ring fence members of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in prosecutorial villages to ostensibly offer protection and curb corruption. Public prosecutors are under intense scrutiny due to claims of compromise and corruption. There are currently two public prosecutors in detention and another yet to be apprehended in connection with bail decisions in armed robbery cases. The constant claims of corruption and subversion of prosecutorial guidelines all evince systemic problems rooted in the 2013 Constitution. During the 2013 constitutional reform process, members of the MDC-T were keen to reform the office of Attorney General. As the officer responsible for public prosecutions, the Attorney General was an indispensable cog in the government’s persecution of opposition members. Not only were requests for prosecution of ZANU PF activists ignored, but the then Attorney General, Johannes...