By Richard Muponde
THE decision by government to impose hefty fines ranging between $200 and $120 000 for various offences will exacerbate corruption as impoverished citizens will opt to bribe law enforcement agents, a legal expert has said.
The government gazetted a new fines schedule last week under Statutory Instrument (SI) 57 of 2020, hiking admission of guilt fines from $20 to $2 000, while levels four to 14 offences will now attract fines of between $1 500 and $120 000.
Prior to the hike, the maximum charge was $10 000. Levels one to seven fines were paid at the police stations, while levels eight to 14 were paid at the courts.
Legal expert Tafadzwa Mapuranga said the fines were an affront to the justice system and had the potential of creating a conducive environment for corruption. He said the arbitrary fines were made without considering how much workers, particularly government employees, were earning.
“All of a sudden, someone reviews the fines to such levels and then ask police officers to collect those fines. He will just look at his meagre earning, that’s putting them in the line of corruption. The issue that they should be deterrent will not solve, but fuel corruption,” Mapuranga said.
The standard scale of fines which the police used to assess — from level one to level three — was increased from $20 to between $200 and $500 depending on the assessment of the officer-in-charge.
Some of the minor offences under this level include driving without due care, public drinking and public fighting, among others.
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Criminal offences which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the police, but are referred to the magistrates courts will now attract fines of between $1 200 and $120 000.
These are offences falling under levels four to 14, such as pick-pocketing, shoplifting, tampering with electricity and telecommunications equipment, among others.
Local businessman, Tawanda Kadiki popularly known as T1, who is in the transport business, said the fines will see the resurrection of roadblocks because the fine were so enticing to the poorly paid police officers.
“We are going to see roadblocks sprouting up; some of them illegal because police officers know that motorists won’t be able to pay the fines on the spot, but negotiate their way (off the hook). These fines will definitely fuel corruption. Not only in the police force, even at the courts because very few people will manage the fines which have been announced to be imposed by the courts,” Kadiki said.
Abigail Mhofu, from Kuwadzana 2, said the fines would become a cashcow for the poorly-remunerated police force and court officials.
In 2016, the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa) said spot fines were fuelling corruption among police officers, recommending that the ticketing system should be re-introduced.
ACT-Southern Africa said in most cases, motorists would be forced to pay the spot fines, which are sometimes inflated to force them to pay bribes.
