NetOne chief executive officer Lazarus Muchenje, six senior
executives and former board member Paradzai Chakona were arrested yesterday by
the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of criminal abuse of
office.
ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure confirmed the
arrests, but could not give details on the swoop, one of the biggest on a
State-owned enterprise since the inception of the anti-graft body in 2004 and
was unable to disclose the identities of the other six accused executives who
are likely to appear in court today along with Muchenje and Chakona.
“I can confirm that Mr Muchenje and his alleged accomplices
have been arrested. The charges relate to alleged criminal abuse of duty as
public officers and the suspected violation of the Public Finance Management
Act,” said Comm Makamure.
Muchenje’s lawyer, Mr Innocent Chingarande of Titan Law
Chambers, said his client was facing seven counts of criminal abuse of office,
with the alternative charges being fraud, and that the evidence was similar to
that presented in recent disciplinary investigations.
Mr Chingarande said his client was being held at Avondale
Police Station and was expected to appear in court today.
He said Chakona was facing one count of criminal abuse of
office from what was presented when a warned and cautioned statement was taken.
Mr Chingarande could however, not reveal details of the
allegations last night although these will be presented when the eight appear
in court .
“He (Muchenje) will appear in court tomorrow as has been
advised. I cannot comment on the six other executives as they are not my
clients. The charges arise from the same facts as the disciplinary hearing
charges that NetOne had preferred against Mr Muchenje but with a few amendments
and additions,” said Mr Chingarande. National police spokesperson Assistant
Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he could not comment on the arrests and
detention, referring all questions to ZACC.
Sources close to the matter said some of the arrested
executives included chief technology officer Darlington Gutu, acting chief
finance officer Tinashe Severa, acting head legal affairs Tanyaradzwa Chingombe
and manager interconnection and roaming Tawanda Sibanda.
Muchenje recently won a court case in which he was
challenging his suspension in February for alleged incompetence in the
execution of his duties as the chief executive officer of Zimbabwe’s second
largest mobile phone company.
The board also suspended Severa on similar accusations.
Some of the allegations the board cited included failure by
Muchenje to provide documentation to the company’s auditors, unprocedural
procurement of fuel and violation of exchange control rules by NetOne’s bureau
de change units. Herald
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