REGISTER General (RG) Clemence Masango, who was recently arrested
by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) after purchasing vehicles
without Cabinet authority, yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court
and was remanded out of custody on $10 000 bail.
As part of his bail conditions Masango was ordered to
report twice at Waterfalls Police Station, not travel beyond 40 km radius of
Harare, not to visit the Registrar General’s office, to surrender title deeds
for his Borrowdale property and to surrender his travel documents. He is
expected to be back in court on June 4, 2020.
The top government official is alleged to have criminally
abused his office, an offence which landed him before magistrate Bianca
Makwande.
Through his lawyer Raymond Nembo, the Registrar was not
asked to plead but he made an application for bail which was opposed by
prosecutor Francesca Mukumbiri saying he is likely to abscond given that if
convicted he faces up to 15 years behind bars.
“He is a man of means and given the weight of his offence
which he now knows, he may be induced to flee. Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission officers had to use force to arrest him after he ordered his
officers to block them from entering his office,” Mukumbiri said.
The prosecutor further accused Masango of having interfered
with the State’s key witness in the matter, one Peter Bwanya, who is a chief
accountant in his office by calling a meeting on May 6, 2020 where he accused
him of leaking information to Zacc.
Mukumbiri said Masango ordered Bwanya not to give any
duplicate documents to Zacc.
“As if that was not enough, the accused (Masango) also
confiscated a firearm belonging to Bwanya and kept it to himself,” adding
Bwanya later received several threats at his home and that at some point
unidentified men scaled up his security wall during late hours of the night and
threatened him not to leak any information.
But in her determination Makwande said in the absence of an
independent witness the alleged threats issued to Bwanya could not be
substantiated. She also queried why the police did not interview any other
parties who were present during the alleged meeting convened at Masango’s
offices on May 6.
“The State’s submissions falls short of compelling reasons
required by the constitution to deny an accused person bail. The accused person
has made a counter claim against Bwanya whom he has instituted disciplinary
action against prior to investigations of this current matter. It is merely the
word of the investigating officer against the accused person,” Makwande said.
In his defense Masango had denied the allegations that he
confiscated Bwanya’s firearms saying the accusations were fabricated.
The Registrar also challenged all the State’s allegations
against him and denied that he did not comply with Zacc officers upon arrest
and told the court that he assisted the officers during investigations.
It is the State’s allegations that sometime in October
2018, Masango sought authority from the permanent secretary in the ministry of
Home Affairs, Melusi Matshiya, to purchase vehicles for the Civil Registry
department.
On October 29, the State alleges, Masango originated a
letter addressed to Matshiya requesting authority to purchase two Toyota Land
Cruisers 200LC vehicles to improve access to district registries and sub
offices that had become inaccessible due to rugged terrain.
However, the State said the request was approved on
November 5, but before the vehicles were purchased, Matshiya cancelled the
approval through a letter written in November 2018 addressed to Masango citing
a shift in government policy regarding purchase of vehicles and Masango allegedly
acknowledged receipt of the letter and instructed an accountant, Ndamukanei
Gota, to take note and comply.
The State alleges on January 18, 2019 Masango then
unlawfully and corruptly originated a memorandum to then chief accountant,
Gota, instructing him to facilitate initial document meant for purchase of Land
Cruisers and transfer US$78 505 towards purchase of a Ford Ranger double cab
and for purchase of five Isuzu Lite Single cabs without cabinet authority and
approval from the ministry.
Acting on the said instructions, Gota originated a letter
to branch manager Fbc bank authorizing him to make payments of US$78 505 to
Duly’s Motors Pvt Ltd Stanbic bank account meant for the purchase of the Ford
Ranger and Wild Track vehicles and a further US$95 291 was transferred to CMED
Fbc account for purchase of five Isuzu Lite single cabs.
The State also alleges that Masango further directed Gota
to write a letter to CMED instructing them to purchase the said Ford Ranger
from Duly’s Motors Pvt Ltd and it complied. A total of six vehicles were then
subsequently delivered to Civil Registry department. Newsday
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