News / National
Mass resignations expected at the anti-corruption commissioners
19 Mar 2013 at 04:46hrs | Views
Embattled Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission commissioners are planning to resign en-masse at a meeting planned for today citing alleged persecution and lack of support from Government and President Mugabe, sources within the commission have revealed.
The ZACC commissioners, still smarting from legal embarrassment after admitting in court last Thursday that ZACC illegally acquired search warrants from the High Court to search and seize certain documents from the offices of three Government ministers - Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu; Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche - have chosen to divert attention from imminent investigation for corruption, massive financial embezzlement and alleged out-sourcing of the commission's duties to individuals and organisations outside the anti-graft statutory body, said the sources privy to the goings on in the Commission.
"It is quite interesting to note that the same individuals who were accusing Kasukuwere, Goche and Mpofu of allegedly hiding away some shady dealings by opposing the intended search of their offices by the investigators from the commission are now trying to run away from facing investigations by threatening to resign en-masse", said the source.
"It is now public knowledge that the commissioners are corrupt. The labour case by the commission's investigators and intelligence officers is a tip of the iceberg," added the source.
The labour case, reported by our sister paper, The Sunday Mail, on March 17 2013, reveals that the ZACC commissioners have been looting funds provided by the Reserve Bank as housing programme funds (USD5,5 million) and anti-corruption allowances meant for the entire commission including the disgruntled 26 investigators and intelligence officers.
An internal audit report prepared by Barbra Gandawa, chief internal auditor at the ZACC also makes telling revelations that eight commissioners, four general managers and the commission's chief executive officer received holiday allowances totalling ZAR 852 770.00 on August 8 2008 without any board resolution authorising the expenditure nor any paper trail between the RBZ and the ZACC to document the cash disbursement.
The auditor notes there are no records "signed by both ACCZ and RBZ" and that there are no paper trails to authenticate the transaction "in the records of both RBZ and ACCZ who are both public organisations who remain accountable to the public."
Gandawa further alleges that a total USD 29 700 meant for anti-corruption allowances were improperly accessed and signed for by the Commission's general manager for investigations, Sukai Tongogara and general manager for prevention and corporate governance, Edwin Mubataripi although acknowledgement of receipt documents from the RBZ had no date stamps despite the fact that they were on RBZ letter head.
Gandawa further alleges that in some instances, there was no documentation on how the money was disbursed a scenario she believes "might lead to the amounts received used for personal gains."
Sources within the Commission say a lot has been happening in terms of corruption that any serious investigations were likely to unearth shocking cases of financial abuse.
"The most imminent case of corruption was the appointment of Denford Chirindo as the Commission's Chairperson. He joined the Commission from the RBZ, an institution that had invested much into the commission although it was a prime target for investigation by the anti-graft body following its quasi-fiscal activities," said the source.
The source claimed that "Chirindo who is a former RBZ employee has used his position to ensure the commission would never investigate the RBZ and as it stands, there are dockets on Dr Gideon Gono and Minister Elton Mangoma which some commissioners have been blocking all along and yet the same commissioners have been eager to illegally acquire search warrants against some Zanu-PF ministers".
It is understood that the intended resignations are an attempt to save face by the commissioners after they admitted that they had illegally acquired search warrants on NIEEB, ZMDC and Zinara, the three government ministers and also an acknowledgement that the commission had totally failed in the execution of its duties hence the ploy to cover-up their tracks through their threatened en-mass resignations.
"These are criminal elements who have looted funds availed to the commission who now seek to exit in some grand way.
"Why are they resigning now when we all know their tenure is coming to an end through the adoption of the new constitution since they are a creation of the GNU and amendment 19?" quizzed the source.
The ZACC commissioners, still smarting from legal embarrassment after admitting in court last Thursday that ZACC illegally acquired search warrants from the High Court to search and seize certain documents from the offices of three Government ministers - Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu; Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche - have chosen to divert attention from imminent investigation for corruption, massive financial embezzlement and alleged out-sourcing of the commission's duties to individuals and organisations outside the anti-graft statutory body, said the sources privy to the goings on in the Commission.
"It is quite interesting to note that the same individuals who were accusing Kasukuwere, Goche and Mpofu of allegedly hiding away some shady dealings by opposing the intended search of their offices by the investigators from the commission are now trying to run away from facing investigations by threatening to resign en-masse", said the source.
"It is now public knowledge that the commissioners are corrupt. The labour case by the commission's investigators and intelligence officers is a tip of the iceberg," added the source.
The labour case, reported by our sister paper, The Sunday Mail, on March 17 2013, reveals that the ZACC commissioners have been looting funds provided by the Reserve Bank as housing programme funds (USD5,5 million) and anti-corruption allowances meant for the entire commission including the disgruntled 26 investigators and intelligence officers.
An internal audit report prepared by Barbra Gandawa, chief internal auditor at the ZACC also makes telling revelations that eight commissioners, four general managers and the commission's chief executive officer received holiday allowances totalling ZAR 852 770.00 on August 8 2008 without any board resolution authorising the expenditure nor any paper trail between the RBZ and the ZACC to document the cash disbursement.
The auditor notes there are no records "signed by both ACCZ and RBZ" and that there are no paper trails to authenticate the transaction "in the records of both RBZ and ACCZ who are both public organisations who remain accountable to the public."
Gandawa further alleges that a total USD 29 700 meant for anti-corruption allowances were improperly accessed and signed for by the Commission's general manager for investigations, Sukai Tongogara and general manager for prevention and corporate governance, Edwin Mubataripi although acknowledgement of receipt documents from the RBZ had no date stamps despite the fact that they were on RBZ letter head.
Gandawa further alleges that in some instances, there was no documentation on how the money was disbursed a scenario she believes "might lead to the amounts received used for personal gains."
Sources within the Commission say a lot has been happening in terms of corruption that any serious investigations were likely to unearth shocking cases of financial abuse.
"The most imminent case of corruption was the appointment of Denford Chirindo as the Commission's Chairperson. He joined the Commission from the RBZ, an institution that had invested much into the commission although it was a prime target for investigation by the anti-graft body following its quasi-fiscal activities," said the source.
The source claimed that "Chirindo who is a former RBZ employee has used his position to ensure the commission would never investigate the RBZ and as it stands, there are dockets on Dr Gideon Gono and Minister Elton Mangoma which some commissioners have been blocking all along and yet the same commissioners have been eager to illegally acquire search warrants against some Zanu-PF ministers".
It is understood that the intended resignations are an attempt to save face by the commissioners after they admitted that they had illegally acquired search warrants on NIEEB, ZMDC and Zinara, the three government ministers and also an acknowledgement that the commission had totally failed in the execution of its duties hence the ploy to cover-up their tracks through their threatened en-mass resignations.
"These are criminal elements who have looted funds availed to the commission who now seek to exit in some grand way.
"Why are they resigning now when we all know their tenure is coming to an end through the adoption of the new constitution since they are a creation of the GNU and amendment 19?" quizzed the source.
Source - TH