News / National
ZACC Investigating Officer goes rogue
07 Jul 2024 at 12:37hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has been reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for obstructing justice by allegedly protecting convicts Francesco Marconati and his son Allesandro. The Marconatis were convicted earlier this year for threatening their former business partner, Li Song, and were sentenced to 105 hours of community service each. However, Allesandro did not perform any of his community service, and Francesco did not complete his assigned hours.
Li Song accused Willem Adamu, a ZACC investigation officer, of accepting bribes to allow the Marconatis to disregard their sentences. In a letter to the Chief Director of the CID, Song claimed she overheard their lawyer assuring the Marconatis that ZACC would prevent their arrest. She also highlighted that the magistrates who issued the arrest warrants were being threatened, indicating a blatant disregard for the law.
Song's letter emphasized that Francesco had not fulfilled his community service obligations and that ZACC's actions constituted a severe breach of justice. Adamu allegedly intimidated and harassed judicial officers, including magistrates and court clerks, regarding the warrants and ongoing judicial proceedings. This interference included recording statements from judicial officers and threatening them with arrest if they did not comply with his demands.
Furthermore, Adamu is accused of interrogating the public prosecutor and police investigation officers involved in the case, summoning them to ZACC's Harare office at his convenience. His actions have created an atmosphere of fear among the judicial management team, with reports of continuous harassment of officers handling cases involving Francesco Marconati. This has raised concerns about the misuse of ZACC's arresting powers to challenge and undermine judicial decisions.
Song emphasized that ZACC should not abuse its authority to interfere with judicial proceedings and that any party aggrieved by a court decision should seek redress through proper legal channels, such as appeals. She called for an end to the intimidation and harassment of judicial officers and for ZACC to uphold the principles of justice and the rule of law.
Li Song accused Willem Adamu, a ZACC investigation officer, of accepting bribes to allow the Marconatis to disregard their sentences. In a letter to the Chief Director of the CID, Song claimed she overheard their lawyer assuring the Marconatis that ZACC would prevent their arrest. She also highlighted that the magistrates who issued the arrest warrants were being threatened, indicating a blatant disregard for the law.
Furthermore, Adamu is accused of interrogating the public prosecutor and police investigation officers involved in the case, summoning them to ZACC's Harare office at his convenience. His actions have created an atmosphere of fear among the judicial management team, with reports of continuous harassment of officers handling cases involving Francesco Marconati. This has raised concerns about the misuse of ZACC's arresting powers to challenge and undermine judicial decisions.
Song emphasized that ZACC should not abuse its authority to interfere with judicial proceedings and that any party aggrieved by a court decision should seek redress through proper legal channels, such as appeals. She called for an end to the intimidation and harassment of judicial officers and for ZACC to uphold the principles of justice and the rule of law.
Source - newzimbabwe
