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Harare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) is investigating a new case allegedly linking Higher Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and other Government officials to “suspicious” transactions involving over US$6,4 million, our Harare Bureau has established.
The transactions, according to investigators, include payments made from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund between 2014 and 2016.
This comes as Zacc Chairperson Dr Job Whabira recently wrote to Advocate Jacob Mudenda justifying several other corruption charges the anti-graft body has made against the minister.
Adv Mudenda is National Assembly Speaker and also heads a Zanu-PF panel constituted to probe claims by Prof Moyo that the money he took from Zimdef funded party activities.
In the letter, Dr Whabhira refutes Prof Moyo’s claims that Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa had ordered his arrest over the Zimdef saga. Prof Moyo has previously accused VP Mnangagwa and other Government officials of actively plotting his arrest.
Documents seen by our Harare Bureau show that investigations into the latest case began last week after Zacc stumbled on a number of “suspicious” transactions.
Some of the alleged shenanigans occurred before Prof Moyo took up the Higher Education portfolio.
It is understood a payment of US$100 000 was allegedly paid to a non-existent Manicaland State University.
Investigators also believe Prof Moyo’s deputy, Dr Godfrey Gandawa, moved US$16 000 from his company and personal bank accounts to a Harare firm (name supplied).
After a few days, the company sent the money to Zimdef via Real Time Gross Settlement, claiming it was a loan repayment by Prof Moyo.
A banker (name supplied), who facilitated that transaction, is also under investigation.
Two other eye-brow-raising transactions involved US$3 250 and US$3 545 that Zimdef paid Dr Gandawa, allegedly to construct clinics in his home area in Hurungwe.
Zimdef also paid US$85 000 in “relocation expenses” for an education attaché.
In addition, more than US$1, 9 million was allegedly paid to Hexco, and investigators are keen to find out if the payments were above board.
Other payments under scrutiny involve US$2,1 million paid to Verify Engineering between July 2014 and April 2016.
US$9 000 was also paid out in cash as funeral assistance following the death of Prof Moyo’s daughter, Zanele, in addition to a loan of US$16 000 which had already been extended to him.
A source told our Harare Bureau that Zacc investigators will soon be deployed to cover other areas.
Another source from the Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Ministry said staff at the ministry had been informed about the probe.
“We have been alerted of the pending investigations, so we are waiting to see,” the source said.
Before this case, Prof Moyo and Dr Gandawa were arrested for allegedly siphoning US$400 000 from Zimdef through private companies Wisebone Trading and Fuzzy Technologies.
Prof Moyo has taken the matter to the Constitutional Court, while Dr Gandawa is going through court processes.
In his letter to Adv Mudenda, Dr Whabhira said: “Zacc was never at any time instructed by Vice-President E.D Mnangagwa to arrest Professor Moyo at any material time, but was discharging its mandate in accordance with the Constitution.
“The investigations were carried out by Zacc investigators and no Commissioner was involved in these investigations. The authority to investigate was given by the full Commission.”
Dr Whabhira said when Zacc officers tracked Prof Moyo to Zanu-PF headquarters, the intention was not to arrest him, but to ask him to report to the Commission’s offices.
“…previous attempts to locate him at his office and home proved futile. On several occasions, the Professor committed himself that he was going to come to Zacc offices but he never did so.
“After thorough investigations of this matter, the Commission investigators followed every payment that came from Zimdef to Wisebone Trading, Fuzzy Technologies and to other various companies. Not a single cent can be traced to any political party let alone Zanu-PF. In order to explain this point, Zacc have evidence that Dr Gandawa used money in order to spruce up on his personal business interests.”
He added: “For example on the 19th of October 2015, Professor Moyo, acting in common purpose with Dr Gandawa and Fredrick Mandizvida, the Chief Executive of Zimdef, unlawfully and corruptly benefited from a personal loan amounting to US$24 000 which was applied on his behalf by Dr Gandawa.”
Online Reporter