Zanu-PF hardliners want Gono arrested for fraud

Despite president Robert Mugabe's remarks that police needed to do a thorough job investigating Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai over the purchase of a house in Highlands, Harare was awash with reports that Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono was also targeted.

President Robert Mugabe has effectively watered down the plot to arrest Tsvangirai by hardliners in Zanu-PF who claim that he fraudulently double dipped from both the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Treasury for the same project.

The alleged fraud involves $1,5 million in public funds released two years ago by the government and a further $1 million is believed to have been released from state coffers for the purchase and development of the same property.

In his birthday interview with state-run media, Mugabe said the police should thoroughly investigate Tsvangirai before rushing to arrest him.

The Daily News has been told that a dossier prepared by people who want to see Gono's back at the RBZ, is pointing out that both the Central Bank boss and Tsvangirai connived on the deal.

Hardliners are now pushing for the arrest of both Tsvangirai and Gono.

Contacted for comment on the issue, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono professed ignorance on the plot to have him arrested on fraud charges together with Tsvangirai. He said he could not comment on rumours.

Pressed on the deal itself and what really transpired Gono said: "What's your interest in the matter? What the President said is both instructive and sufficient and I think we should all take a cue from that."

"Be careful though you don't end up being sold a dummy one way or the other, why not simply wait while responsible authorities follow what the President has said before rushing to cast aspersions?"

"Investigate thoroughly first. If you are in the business of watching crime and business videos go and watch '12 Angry Man' and you have an idea of how important it is for everyone concerned to do their work properly first before rushing to tarnish people's names and characters and this applies to you guys too in the press. A coin has two sides to make it complete you know," said Gono.

Asked why RBZ was continuously being referred to in the media and ZTV in particular as having been involved the alleged fraud, Gono was noncommittal.

Gono urged the media to do their job thoroughly before rushing to conclusions.

"ZBC contacted me as the chief spokesperson of the RBZ and main player in the RBZ leg of transaction. All they are relying upon is documentation unofficially and surreptitiously obtained from the bank without my clearance or authority."

"I won't therefore comment on that, save to ask them to thoroughly investigate their story and obtain authentic, certified documentation from authentic and appropriate sources. The President has been very clear about the importance of truth, absolute truth in whatever we do and say," said Gono.

Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka yesterday told the Daily News that Tsvangirai was not affected by threats to arrest him because his hands are clean.

Tamborinyoka said: "Regarding that house the Prime Minister's conscience is clear. He is constantly reading about his imminent arrest in the papers but his conscience remains clear."

In the interview with ZBC Mugabe said: "What we don't want is people getting arrested on the basis of evidence which is not clear and on the basis of facts which have not been thoroughly investigated.

"The police must investigate these cases thoroughly so that by the time they get to the stage of building a case and taking it to the court, they are quite sure that they have a case against the particular individual to who it relates but just rushing to build a case against somebody doesn't do us good at all," said Mugabe.

"If anything it harms our reputation and I hope they have investigated the matter thoroughly not just rush to make up things against the Prime Minister."