GITEGA, December 19th (ABP) – The Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, Prosper Bazombanza, has called upon the Burundians across all socio-professional sectors to denounce both those who offer and those who accept bribes, arguing that they stifle the country’s development.
These remarks were made during his speech on Thursday, December 18, 2025, marking the closing of a workshop dedicated to the validation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy document. Vice-President Bazombanza described corruption as a “scourge,” explaining that it leads to the erosion of the social order.
Citing the example of a judicial system plagued by corruption, the Vice-President Bazombanza indicated that corrupt judges extort litigants to the point of forcing them to sell their property considered of unmatched value to a Burundian. As a result, the people lose confidence in a justice system that rules in favor of the highest bidder.
He further decried the behavior of certain civil servants who manage public assets as if they were their own private property, or who engage in cronyism and favoritism. This approach undermines the effective functioning of the State, he lamented, before issuing a vibrant appeal to the audience to restore the values of Ubuntu (humanity) and a patriotic spirit. He urged all Burundians to instill these same values in their children so they grow up with respect for themselves, others, and public property.
Vice-President Bazombanza expressed his gratitude to the workshop participants for the strategies developed to root out corruption in the country.
Similar thanks were extended to the “responsible and hardworking” government for all initiatives already taken and those planned to discourage the practice of corruption.