TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
Consultancy on the Documentation of Prosecuted Corruption Cases in Zambia and Sub-Saharan Africa (2012–2022) - Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z)
1.0. General Information
1.1 Introduction
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) is a local chapter of the global civil society movement, Transparency International, dedicated to the fight against corruption and the promotion of transparency, integrity, accountability, and good governance. TI-Z is a non-profit, non-governmental organization established in June 2000 with its secretariat in Lusaka.
In collaboration with the Transparency International Secretariat (TI-S), TI-Z is implementing the Transparency Repository for Anti-Corruption Enhancement (TRACE) database under the Stopping Impunity for Corruption through Enhanced Accountability (SICEA) project - Stopping impunity for corruption through enhanced - Transparency.org. The initiative seeks to develop an Africa-wide repository of high-profile corruption cases to strengthen evidence-based advocacy and policy reform across 11 African countries.
Through systematic documentation and analysis of prosecuted corruption cases, TRACE aims to promote transparency, strengthen judicial accountability, and inform strategic interventions to combat corruption on the continent.
1.2 Background and Rationale
While numerous corruption cases have been prosecuted across Africa, there remains limited centralized documentation, analysis, and public accessibility of these cases. This gap hinders research, policy development, and advocacy for systemic reform.
This consultancy will therefore support TI-Z’s contribution to TRACE by identifying, compiling, and analysing prosecuted corruption cases in Zambia (2012–2022). The resulting dataset will be integrated into the TRACE regional database, supporting comparative analysis and advocacy across Africa.
2.0. Objective of the Assignment
The objective of this consultancy is to document and analyse prosecuted corruption cases in Zambia during the period 2012–2022, in line with the TRACE data collection and extraction guide.
The consultant will:
- Identify and extract relevant case information from official judicial sources.
- Ensure the completeness, accuracy, and consistency of case data.
- Produce concise analytical summaries and insights.
- Deliver a validated dataset for submission to TI-S through TI-Z.
3.0. Scope of Work
The consultant will perform the following key tasks:
A. Case Identification and Selection
- Identify corruption-related judgments and rulings from the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court from 2012–2022.
- Apply the TRACE Case Selection Tool to screen and assess cases against established and enhanced criteria. In addition, the consultant shall ensure that all selected cases meet the following requirements:
- High Court level and above,
- Only cases with final and concluded judgments, where all appeals have been exhausted to ensure legal certainty and consistency with TRACE’s requirement for final adjudication, shall be included
- Cases must demonstrate clear governance or anti-corruption significance by offering precedent-setting or jurisprudential value, providing insight into systemic weaknesses, institutional behaviour, or enforcement practices, and contributing to the identification of patterns or trends in corruption prosecution such as prosecutorial focus, sentencing consistency, or asset recovery outcomes.
- To ensure representative coverage aligned with the SICEA brief, cases may be selected from a diverse range of sectors, such as, Health, Extractives and natural resources, Justice and law enforcement, Land and public finance management Involvement of high-profile individuals
- Monetary threshold (≥ USD 20,000) including pecuniary loss, illicit gain, or asset recovery
- Public interest and media visibility
- Compile all relevant judgment files (PDF or Word) for approved cases and prepare them for extraction and analysis in accordance with the TRACE guidelines.
B. Data Extraction and Analysis
- Extract detailed information from each judgment using the TRACE Extraction Tool (27 parameters including case number, date, parties, facts, charges, verdict, fines, recovered assets, etc.).
- Prepare concise summaries highlighting the case facts, procedural background, legal reasoning, and broader governance implications.
- Standardize monetary values to USD and ensure internal consistency of all data points.
- Classify cases by type of corruption (bribery, fraud, embezzlement, abuse of office, etc.) and sector (justice, extractives, health, land, etc.).
- Ensure compliance with the TRACE methodological and ethical standards.
- Contacting judiciary registries when judgments are incomplete, missing pages, or lack essential procedural details, to ensure completeness and reliability of extracted data.
- Brief interactions with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) or court archivists where necessary, especially for clarification of case status, missing annexures, or supporting documents referenced in judgments.
- Documenting all barriers to accessing judgments, including restricted archives, incomplete digital records, delays in registry responses, or missing case files, as part of the methodological transparency and to support future advocacy on judicial accessibility.
C. Data Validation and Reporting
- Collaborate with TI-Z and TI-S content teams for data review and validation.
- Revise and finalize data based on quality assurance feedback.
- Prepare a final analytical report outlining:
- Case mapping and trends
- Observations on judicial handling of corruption cases
- Lessons and recommendations for strengthening anti-corruption enforcement.
4.0. Deliverables and Timeline
Duration: Three (3) months - approximately December 2025 – February 2026.
5.0. Expected Outputs
- Minimum 15-20 fully documented corruption cases meeting TRACE inclusion criteria.
- An Excel-based dataset aligned with the TRACE Extraction Tool.
- A digital repository of verified judgment files.
- A concise analytical report summarizing corruption prosecution patterns, outcomes, and systemic insights.
- Trends Analysis identifying patterns across the 2012–2022 dataset, including which corruption offences are most and least frequently prosecuted, prosecution outcomes, sectors most affected, and shifts over time.
- Enforcement Gaps highlighting weaknesses in investigation, prosecution, judicial processing, or sentencing that emerge from the documented cases.
- Access Challenges, providing an account of obstacles encountered in accessing judgments, such as incomplete records, restricted archives, or administrative delays and assessment on how these limitations affect data completeness.
- Long-Term Recommendations that will propose actionable recommendations for strengthening transparency, improving judicial data accessibility, and enhancing national systems for documenting corruption cases.
6.0. Consultant Qualifications
Academic Qualifications
- Minimum of a Master’s degree in Law, Social Sciences, Governance, Public Policy, Political Science, Criminal Justice, or an equivalent field.
- Legal training or familiarity with legal research methodologies will be considered an added advantage.
Professional Experience
- Minimum 7–10 years of professional experience within Zambia’s Judicial system or related sectors, including legal research, case documentation, prosecution support, judicial analysis, or governance/anti-corruption programming.
- Must be a legal practitioner or a professional with demonstrable experience in analysing court judgments and legal data.
- Proven expertise in anti-corruption, governance, or justice-sector reform or institutional accountability.
- Demonstrated experience in analyzing court judgments and legal data with a strong understanding of institutional frameworks and reform processes.
- For consulting firms, a valid certificate of company registration is required while for independent individual consultantsno company registration certificate is required; however, the consultant must demonstrate professional standing and relevant experience through a detailed CV and verifiable references.
- Proven ability to analyze Court Judgements and legal data, with a track record of producing analytical insights and policy-oriented recommendations
- Knowledge of Zambia’s legal and judicial frameworks including Anti-Corruption Commission Act, Penal Code, and and related statutes.
Skills and Competencies
- Excellent analytical and legal drafting skills.
- High attention to detail and accuracy in data management.
- Strong communication, synthesis, and reporting ability.
- Demonstrated integrity, discretion, and respect for confidentiality.
Coordination with TI-S
- Participating in scheduled quality-assurance sessions with the TI-S Content Lead.
- Ensuring that all data extraction, categorisation, and case summaries adhere to the TRACE methodological standards.
- Incorporating feedback provided by TI-S during validation rounds.
7.0. Reporting and Supervision
The consultant will work closely with the TRACE Country Administrator and TI-S Content Lead for technical oversight, validation, and quality assurance.
8.0. Ethical and Confidentiality Requirements
The consultant shall adhere to TI-Z and TI-S policies on ethics, data protection, confidentiality, and anti-corruption. All information accessed through this assignment shall be treated as confidential and used solely for the purposes of the consultancy. The consultant must ensure secure data handling and storage at all stages of the process. Given that some judgments may contain personal identifiers or sensitive information, the consultant shall:
- Identify and flag cases requiring partial redaction before being uploaded to the TRACE public repository, in line with ethical data-sharing principles.
- Record any ethical or confidentiality concerns within the case metadata, including instances where sensitive information appears, or where redaction may affect interpretation of case facts.
- Ensure that all extracted data complies with TI-Z and TI-S ethical standards, including safe publication practices and protection of individuals’ privacy.
9.0 Application Procedure
Interested consultants or firms are invited to submit:
- Technical Proposal – outlining understanding of the assignment, methodology, and work plan;
- Financial Proposal – inclusive of all costs, expressed in Zambian Kwacha;
- Curriculum Vitae – CV of lead consultant detailing qualifications and relevant experience Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and qualification certificates of proposed staff must be submitted in detail. The Consultant(s)/Consultancy Firm shall specify its team members, responsibilities, skills and relevant experience to deliver the service.
- Sample of previous similar work – such as legal or analytical documentation reports.
Eligible and interested candidates will be required to submit their application no later than Wednesday 17th December 2025. Applications can be emailed to info@tizambia.org.zm. The complete application packet must be submitted in Word or PDF format with the required attachments with the subject line “Consultancy - Documentation of Prosecuted Corruption Cases”
10.0.Evaluation and Selection Criteria
CriterionDescriptionWeight
Technical Approach
Demonstrated understanding, proposed methodology, and sound analytical framework
40 %
Experience and Past Performance
Proven record in legal documentation, case analysis, or governance research; relevant references
35 %
Qualifications and Team Competence
Relevant academic credentials, technical expertise, and communication skillsThe Consultant(s)/Consultancy Firm shall specify its team members, responsibilities, skills and relevant experience to deliver the service. Curriculum Vitae (CVs) and qualification certificatesof proposed staff must be submitted in detail.
15 %
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. TI-Z reserves the right to verify information provided and to reject any application that does not meet professional and ethical standards.
