ZACC Clears Obert Mpofu, Gumbo, Mandiwanzira Of Corruption, Says It Does Not Arrest To Please
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has cleared three cabinet ministers of corruption saying that there is no credible evidence against them. The commission also urged people to stop supplying it with false information, alleging that some of the charges were motivated by sour grapes. The ministers who have been cleared are Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joram Gumbo and Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security Minister, Supa Mandiwanzira.
Mpofu was facing allegations of corruption and involvement in missing diamond revenues from the time he was Mines and Mining Development Minister. Gumbo and Mandiwanzira were also alleged to have been involved in corrupt deals at Air Zimbabwe and NetOne respectively.
Speaking to Business Weekly, Zacc head of investigations, Commissioner Goodson Nguni said:
Zacc is mandated by the Constitution to follow the only evidence of a crime and we cannot be following someone’s political affiliation first and foremost. The issue is all the popular names that are being talked about who is supposed to be arrested; we do not have evidence of them having committed a crime and we cannot arrest ministers to please people.
…citizens of this country have written letters making allegations against Minister Obert Mpofu (when he was Mines and Mining Development). But the story that (the whistleblower) gave us has a lot of false information and half-truths, half backed information that does not have evidence.
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For example, he alleges that this minister took his $10.6 million. It is a lie. We asked the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe. They told us that they never had $10 million in their account and certainly Minister Mpofu never took any money from MMCZ. We got a court order, we got the court documents and bank statements. There is no money like $10 million and Minister Mpofu did not take money from MMCZ; it’s a lie.
…So we urge the public not to give us lies. You are upset over somebody who has fired you and start making stories about them saying they are corrupt while they are not corrupt. There is no evidence to link Minister Mpofu to any criminal activities and we are yet to be given that story
…In the case of Minister Supa Mandiwanzira, there is just no evidence to justify even calling him to question because there is nothing that is criminal in what he did, nothing at all. The allegations are that some money, $4 million, was supposed to be paid. We checked with the banks, the RBZ, no $4 million was paid and the allegations that Minister Mandiwanzira ordered the board to fire the former CEO (Kangai) is also as false as it is because it is the board that took the decision.
…Well, it’s not our duty to tell the nation about what is happening at Air Zimbabwe, but I can tell you there was no crime that was committed by Minister Gumbo, nothing. There are people who are saying because you said there are criminals around Mugabe, now they are trying to look for criminals in this Government. In the process of doing that, they are just making bar-room talk in calling that as pointers to a crime. There is nothing like that.
Some quarters have accused the anti-corruption body of going after perceived enemies of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration as no known supporters of his have been arrested yet.
More: Business Weekly
