Drax approaches Interpol

The supply deal between Drax Consultant SAGL and NatPharm for medical supplies, which led to the dismissal and arrest of then Health Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo and a major management shake-up at NatPharm, has now moved to Hungary where Drax wants a US$2 million payment in its bank account unfrozen.  

The money is frozen in Drax's MagNet Bank account in Budapest, Hungary, after Interpol passed on information about investigations into the business transaction between the company and the Government.  

This was after some banks involved in the system moved to stop suspected money laundering reportedly raised a red-flag. Through legal counsel Mr Admire Rubaya, Drax on Monday wrote to Interpol Budapest concerning the issues relating to the company business dealings with the Government which resulted in Interpol being involved in the freezing of Drax's US$2m.

In the letter, Mr Rubaya referred to communication from Interpol to Interpol Harare on the business link between NatPharm and Drax Consult SAGL, especially between 2019-2020, and said Drax was suspicious of any responses that Interpol, Hungary could have been given by whoever in the Zimbabwe Republic Police was replying on behalf of Interpol Harare.

He said Drax had not seen the Zimbabwean reply and had not had an opportunity to respond. Drax thought the reply might have mentioned the arrest of Delish Nguwaya who is the Zimbabwean country representative of Drax.  Nguwaya was arrested on June 2020 and appeared before the courts charged with fraud. However, these allegations have since been dismissed by the courts.

Mr Rubaya argues that as the State in these court proceedings did not seek the return of the US$2 million, so NatPharm was not the complainant and so the "funds that you are holding onto are not illicit funds in actual fact".