News / National
Econet numbers at the centre of Biti allegations released
13 Jul 2011 at 05:23hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Police have launched investigations into a case in which Finance Minister Tendai Biti is suspected of unlawfully authorising an officer in his ministry to go on several foreign trips and awarding her per diem at "special" rates.
Ms Petronela Angeline Chishawa, a principal economist, is believed to have benefited from the trips to the prejudice of the State.
The actions, according to the police, are linked to fraud and alternatively criminal abuse of office.
This came from papers filed by chief law officer Mr Chris Mutangadura yesterday at the High Court in which the police were responding to Minister Biti's urgent chamber application to deny them access to information on his Econet mobile phone lines' call history.
Minister Biti last Friday filed an application interdicting the detectives from accessing the said information arguing that it was a form of harassment.
He said the move was calculated at destabilising the inclusive Government and bent on invading his privacy.
The minister has also filed an application seeking to bar Econet Wireless from releasing the information to the police.
He has also appealed against a warrant of seizure issued by Harare provincial magistrate, Mr Mishrod Guvamombe on July 5.
Responding to the urgent chamber application yesterday, Officer Commanding the Criminal Investigations Department Senior Assistant Commissioner Simon Nyathi, said there was reasonable suspicion that Minister Biti favoured Ms Chishawa by authorising foreign trips for her.
He said the call history was relevant to the case and that police were simply investigating the case to find out if the minister truly had a case to answer or not.
"On or about July 5 2011, I became aware that the Serious Fraud Squad, Harare was investigating a case of suspected fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
"Alternatively, the case is criminal abuse of duty as a public officer, as defined in Section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
"From the information received by the police, there are reasonable grounds of suspicion that the applicant (Minister Biti) unlawfully authorised one Petronela Angeline Chishawa, an employee of the Ministry of Finance, to go on a number of foreign trips paying her per diem at special rates and thus showing favour to Chishawa," he said.
Senior Asst Comm Nyathi added that the numbers requested at Econet were as follows:
0772 568 807
0774 346 082
0778 437 880.
However, Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Majuta, who is investigating the matter denied knowledge that among the three numbers were some belonging to Minister Biti.
Senior Asst Comm Nyathi said police had no intention to intercept Minister Biti's communication, but they required the call history as part of their investigations.
"The police are in no way bullying the fourth respondent (Econet), but simply carrying out their constitutional mandate of investigating an offence or suspected offence," he said.
He said the information required would not in any way, destabilise the Government neither would it prejudice a political party as claimed by the minister.
Chief Supt Majuta said the police actions were according to the law and they simply sought access to the call history after legally obtaining a warrant of seizure from the Harare Magistrates' Court.
Chief Supt Majuta emphasised that he was currently investigating the matter and not Minister Biti yet.
"If the information sought from Econet in any way implicates the applicant in the criminal case the police are investigating, only then will the applicant be investigated," he said.
He accused the minister of "importing political issues into police investigations" as a way of defeating or obstructing investigations.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu is expected to hear the application in his chambers today. (Chief law officer Mr Mutangadura is representing the police, while Artherstone and Cook will appear for Minister Biti
Mtetwa and Nyambirai law firm is representing Econet Wireless.
Ms Petronela Angeline Chishawa, a principal economist, is believed to have benefited from the trips to the prejudice of the State.
The actions, according to the police, are linked to fraud and alternatively criminal abuse of office.
This came from papers filed by chief law officer Mr Chris Mutangadura yesterday at the High Court in which the police were responding to Minister Biti's urgent chamber application to deny them access to information on his Econet mobile phone lines' call history.
Minister Biti last Friday filed an application interdicting the detectives from accessing the said information arguing that it was a form of harassment.
He said the move was calculated at destabilising the inclusive Government and bent on invading his privacy.
The minister has also filed an application seeking to bar Econet Wireless from releasing the information to the police.
He has also appealed against a warrant of seizure issued by Harare provincial magistrate, Mr Mishrod Guvamombe on July 5.
Responding to the urgent chamber application yesterday, Officer Commanding the Criminal Investigations Department Senior Assistant Commissioner Simon Nyathi, said there was reasonable suspicion that Minister Biti favoured Ms Chishawa by authorising foreign trips for her.
He said the call history was relevant to the case and that police were simply investigating the case to find out if the minister truly had a case to answer or not.
"On or about July 5 2011, I became aware that the Serious Fraud Squad, Harare was investigating a case of suspected fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
"From the information received by the police, there are reasonable grounds of suspicion that the applicant (Minister Biti) unlawfully authorised one Petronela Angeline Chishawa, an employee of the Ministry of Finance, to go on a number of foreign trips paying her per diem at special rates and thus showing favour to Chishawa," he said.
Senior Asst Comm Nyathi added that the numbers requested at Econet were as follows:
0772 568 807
0774 346 082
0778 437 880.
However, Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Majuta, who is investigating the matter denied knowledge that among the three numbers were some belonging to Minister Biti.
Senior Asst Comm Nyathi said police had no intention to intercept Minister Biti's communication, but they required the call history as part of their investigations.
"The police are in no way bullying the fourth respondent (Econet), but simply carrying out their constitutional mandate of investigating an offence or suspected offence," he said.
He said the information required would not in any way, destabilise the Government neither would it prejudice a political party as claimed by the minister.
Chief Supt Majuta said the police actions were according to the law and they simply sought access to the call history after legally obtaining a warrant of seizure from the Harare Magistrates' Court.
Chief Supt Majuta emphasised that he was currently investigating the matter and not Minister Biti yet.
"If the information sought from Econet in any way implicates the applicant in the criminal case the police are investigating, only then will the applicant be investigated," he said.
He accused the minister of "importing political issues into police investigations" as a way of defeating or obstructing investigations.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu is expected to hear the application in his chambers today. (Chief law officer Mr Mutangadura is representing the police, while Artherstone and Cook will appear for Minister Biti
Mtetwa and Nyambirai law firm is representing Econet Wireless.
Source - TH
