The government of Zimbabwe has, through Statutory Instrument 14A of 2023, announced a new standard scale of fines.
In the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) (Standard Scale of Fines) Notice, 2023, seen by Pindula News, the government said offence level 1 needs US$5 while level 14, the highest level, needs US$5 000. Reads the notice:
IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has, in terms of section 280(7) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], made the following notice:—
1. This notice may be cited as the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) (Standard Scale of Fines) Notice, 2023.
2. The First Schedule to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], is repealed and substituted by the following—
“First Schedule (Sections 2(1) and 280)
STANDARD SCALE OF FINE
Level ………………………………. Monetary amount (US$)
1 ……………………………………………………….. 5 2 ……………………………………………………….. 15 3 ……………………………………………………….. 30 4 ……………………………………………………….. 100 5 ……………………………………………………….. 200 6 ……………………………………………………….. 300 7 ……………………………………………………….. 400 8 ……………………………………………………….. 500 9 ……………………………………………………….. 600 10 ……………………………………………………… 700 11 ………………………………………………………. 1 000 12 ………………………………………………………. 2 000 13 ………………………………………………………. 3 000 14 ………………………………………………………. 5 000.
3. The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) (Standard Scale of Fines) Notice, 2021, published in Statutory Instrument 209 of 2021, is hereby repealed.
4. The fines in the Schedule are expressed in United States dollars but payable in the equivalent Zimbabwean dollars at the prevailing interbank rate.