THE International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) is
frustrating efforts to extradite people facing criminal charges in the country,
Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga said yesterday .
He said this when he appeared before the Portfolio
Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade chaired by Makonde
legislator Cde Kindness Paradza to contribute towards the recently gazetted,
International Treaties Bill.
Comm-Gen Matanga said the Zimbabwe Republic Police had
since engaged the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to pursue
bilateral engagements to enable the repatriation of fugitives.
“I am actually making a comment on an application I am
forwarding to the Ministry of Home Affairs and my Permanent Secretary here as a
result of the ZRP failing to bring back people who would have committed
offences in Zimbabwe,” Comm-Gen Matanga said. “We are a member of Interpol and
there is a facility where as a country we file red notices with Interpol to
bring back offenders to the country and of late there has been a development
with Interpol where they suspect that the ZRP is laying some politically
motivated allegations against an individual.
“Interpol has categorically said they will not help and
where a person runs away from Zimbabwe and is given refugee status in a
particular country, again Interpol will not assist.”
Comm-Gen Matanga said some individuals were using their
connections to evade justice.
“On that, it is very clear now that if a politician commits
an offence in Zimbabwe, depending on the individual or how much they are connected,
(Interpol) will defend that person at all costs.
“Now my application through the ministry is to have
bilateral arrangements maybe within the region with our neighbours so that we
will be able as ZRP to bring back offenders,” he said. Cde Paradza then quizzed
Comm-Gen Matanga whether such issues were not captured in the protocols of
Interpol.
“Unfortunately, when you ask such questions to Interpol you
are not given full answers. As late as last week, I was in Chile attending an
Interpol AGM and I think on certain individuals, I had submitted like three
applications and again we are not getting positive answers,” he said.
“Unfortunately, as a senior police officer I don’t want to
raise issues that I suspect there could be some foul play. That’s why at a
local level we are trying to come up with this facility where the ministry will
be able to assist the ZRP by putting in place mechanisms, for example, if
someone commits a crime and goes to South Africa, bilaterally we should be able
to bring that person back.
“We need now to sit down with our legal officers and AG’s
Office and find ways to bring that person back without problems”.
Although he did not mention names of some of the
politicians that have escaped justice, the list could include former Minister
of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Walter Mzembi, who is is alleged to have
stolen or illegally disposed of Government property worth $1,6 million.
Former Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Professor
Jonathan Moyo and his former deputy Godfrey Gandawa also fled the country after
being accused of abusing Zimbabwe Manpower Development Funds. Herald
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