31 Jul 2024

Parliament has rejected a Bill that sought to amend the Corruption and Economic Crime Act to make the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) more independent in form and function to enhance its efficiency.

The Bill was rejected following divergent views by Members of Parliament on whether DCEC, in its operations, was autonomous or not, a debate which culminated into a vote which saw 21 MPs voting against the amendment while 15 supported it.

Presented to Parliament by Selebi Phikwe West MP, also leader of opposition, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, the Bill had sought to have the DCEC hire its own staff and remove it from the public service and further establish a board that would oversee its business and be free from political interference.

Some MPs highlighted the need to have DCEC wholly isolated from political leadership particularly that of the President for holding overall power and authority to politically and administratively direct DCEC operational functions.

The argument by some MPs was that the powers of the President to appoint or remove the Director General of DCEC, could influence investigations and delivery of work of the organisation, and therefore amending the Act would introduce a sense of transparency and fairness in the process.

Supporting the amendment, some MPs argued that it was relevant because corruption was widespread and on the rise.

They opined that the directorate should also directly be funded by Parliament and therefore directly accountable for its operations and use of funds, arguing that such a setup would insulate it from external influences and thus may not be susceptible to ‘capture’.

On one hand, some MPs were against amending of the Act, arguing that instead, stringent  measures should be taken against those involved in corrupt dealings.

Also arguing against the amendment, some MPs said government was committed to fighting corruption nevertheless, hence the establishment of the DCEC.

They said the DCEC enjoyed operational independence and was immune from external influences.

Conversely, legislators unanimously agreed that there was need to fight against corruption in Botswana, despite the country being the least corrupt in international ratings. ENDS