PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top ally and former director
State residences Douglas Tapfuma was late Tuesday arrested by the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on corruption allegations.
It was understood that Tapfuma was being detained at
Malbereign Police Station facing charges of criminal abuse office. While Zacc
officials were not available for comment immediately, a top official who spoke
on condition of anonymity confirmed the arrest.
“Yes he has been picked up,” said the insider. The source
added that “Tapfuma is facing allegations of using letters from the President’s
Office to facilitate the importation of vehicles for friends and relatives
duty-free.”
He was expected to appear at the Harare Magistrates court
on Wednesday.
Tapfuma who was principal director at State House was in
November 2018 and was Mnangagwa’s right hand man when he returned from brief
exile to seize power following the military coup that toppled former President
Robert Mugabe.
Then principal director, Tapfuma was early last year
elevated to director State residencies following the sacking of Innocent
Tizora, Mugabe’s last director in charge of presidential properties.
But Tapfuma was to be relegated to a less influential post
of principal director, monitoring and evaluation in the Office of the President
and Cabinet (OPC), after allegations of abuse of office exploded into the
public domain including claims he had used his position to buy cars for friends
circumventing tax authorities.
Tapfuma becomes the second high profile official to be
arrested inside two weeks after last week’s seizure of Tourism Minister Priscah
Mupfumira. Mupfumira is currently in remand prison awaiting trial for a litany
of charges connected to the looting at the National Social Security Authority.
Mnangagwa has declared a zero tolerance to corruption and
recently declared the Zacc board chaired by Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo “has
teeth and will bite.”
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