Eddie Cross in contempt of court

MDC-T Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South Eddie Cross faces contempt of parliament for allegedly divulging privileged information under discussion by a parliament committee.

Chairperson of the finance and budget committee, David Chapfika moved a motion in the National Assembly to have Cross charged and a probe team set up to investigate allegations levelled against him by businessperson John Moxon.

According to information tabled in the house, Cross allegedly revealed privileged information which was discussed by the committee during the public hearings for the RBZ debt assumption bill at the annual general meeting for Meikles.

According to MP David Chapfika who presented the letter in Parliament yesterday, Cross is alleged to have prematurely disclosed the committee proceedings and findings on the Reserve Bank Debt Assumption Bill as it relates to Meikles Limited Annual General Meeting before the Committee has reported its findings to the House.
 
Moxon also alleged that Cross violated parliamentary rules by prematurely divulging the proceedings and findings of the Committee before the report of the Committee has been presented to the House.
 
Cross at the Meikles AGM said that the results of the public hearings on the Debt Assumption Bill show that members of the public were extremely unhappy with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Debt Assumption Bill.
 
He also warned Meikles shareholders to disregard the $90 million published in the Meikles Limited's public financial statements as expected debt repayments from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, as doing so would allegedly amount to "counting the chickens before they were hatched."

He said that Cross' alleged use of information gained through a Committee enquiry for his personal benefit, and for which the Committee has not reported to the House, has the potential to impair the integrity of the inquiry by the Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development. Therefore, pursuant to Select Committee Rule No.13, the Committee resolved to bring these matters to the attention of the House. Select Committee Rule No. 13 states that, "If any information comes before any Select Committee charging any member, the Committee shall not proceed further upon such information but shall report it without delay to the House."