Suspended Registrar-General Clement Masango appeared before
a Harare magistrate yesterday facing fresh charges of theft arising from
allegations of abuse of fuel coupons worth over $100 000 from the Central
Registry.
Masango was remanded in custody to today for his new bail
application.
He appeared before magistrate Ms Marehwanazvo Gofa together
with two other alleged accomplices, Benjamin Makiwa, who was a transport
officer in the department and Arthur Mathews, who was Masango’s personal
driver.
Makiwa and Mathews were arrested on Tuesday while Masango
was arrested yesterday by a team from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission
(Zacc).
The three were not asked to plead, but the State led by Mr
Lancelotte Mutsokoti, opposed bail.
It is alleged that between January last year and early this
year, Masango took possession of four pool vehicles of the Central Registry
Department for personal errands at his home and farm.
The State is alleging that Masango, acting with his
co-accused, would corruptly request for fuel purporting that the vehicles were
carrying out official finance and administration duties.
It is alleged that Masango would corruptly alter and issue
overstated fuel quantities beyond those that would have been approved by the
department’s chief accountant, Mr Peter Bwanya.
The State alleged that the scam prejudiced the department
of over 1 400 litres worth more than $100 000.
It is the State case that in some instances, Mathews would
redeem the diesel fuel coupons for cash, which he would convert to own use.
Masango is on suspension without salary and allowances
after he was charged with criminal abuse of office as a public officer after
allegedly instructing CMED to buy a double cab and six single cab pick-up
trucks without Cabinet approval, before using them at his farm.
He has denied all the charges saying the process of buying
the cars started long before he became Registrar-General and that payments were
made before he assumed duty in September 2018.
Masango said he found no reason to seek authority from
accounting officers as CMED is mandated to procure vehicles on behalf of
Government.
He also denied misusing Government vehicles at his farm
saying he only acquired the land in December last year. Herald
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