FORMER National Social Security Authority (NSSA) board
chair Robin Vela has reported auditors BDO Zimbabwe to their parent company in
Belgium over what he said was an “evidently biased, politically-motivated and
incompetent and incomplete forensic audit”.
BDO Zimbabwe implicated Vela in a forensic report that
reveals plunder of NSSA funds to the tune of US$95 million in a corruption case
that has resulted in the arrest of former Tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira.
Vela was accused of prevailing upon NSSA management to
authorise a US$16 million payment to a property development company, Housing
Corporation Zimbabwe (HCZ), owned by Adam Molai.
The former NSSA boss has since taken the audit firm to the
High Court challenging its results and what Vela described as biased and
unprofessional conduct.
On October 16, Vela’s lawyers, Rubaya and Chatambudza,
wrote to BDO International’s global office in Belgium threatening to engage
international lawyers to sue the parent company for £5 million over biased and
unprofessional work.
Vela’s lawyers demanded a response by October 31.
“BDO International is being liable on the basis that its
international brand has lent professional credibility to the shenanigans of BDO
Zimbabwe,” the letter read.
“Our client is aggrieved by an evidently biased,
politically-motivated, incompetent and incomplete ‘sham forensic report’ produced
by BDO Zimbabwe (The Report).
“It is the BDO International brand that lends the report
any professional credibility. It is in this respect that we write to you in
this first instance.”
The lawyers said Vela was concerned about how BDO Zimbabwe
conducted itself during the purported forensic audit exercise, claiming the
audit firm failed to prove it was qualified to conduct such an audit, an
obvious requisite.
“It is our client’s considered view that BDO Zimbabwe
partner, who signed off the report and the persons who compiled the report are
neither qualified nor accredited forensic investigators by any institution,”
the lawyers said.
He said BDO Zimbabwe investigators were incompetent,
resulting in a shambolic audit report which is neither based on documentary
evidence nor supported by any proven facts. Vela alleged that the auditors were
biased against him after they gave him a questionnaire which contained biased
questions.
He said he then provided three dossiers containing
documentary evidence on the issues, but the evidence was completely ignored.
Newsday
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