A click of senior police officers allegedly helped themselves to cars that were impounded from motorists with most of the vehicles ending up at an auction business owned by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s former father-in-law.
So far 50 vehicles that were allegedly stolen by the police
chiefs through an elaborate scheme have been recovered in a scandal that is
said to involve millions of dollars.
The scandal is exposed in court papers where a close ally
of former police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri, former senior
assistant commissioner and chief of staff officer – transport and logistics
department, Robert Masukusa, has been summoned to court on charges of theft of
state property, including impounded vehicles.
Masukusa was responsible for overseeing all the operations
of the transport and logistics that involved purchasing, repairing, conducting
boards of surveys and keeping records of the ZRP vehicle fleet.
He is charged alongside Vusimuzi Ncube (55), a former
officer-in-charge administration and records at the Police General
Headquarter’s transport and logistics.
They allegedly stole the vehicles between 2012 and 2013.
The vehicles were allegedly sold at Ken Mubaiwa’s KM Auction (Pvt) Ltd, court
documents show.
Mubaiwa is the father of Marry Mubaiwa, who was married to
Chiwenga.
“On different dates, Masukusa, Ncube and Chihuri connived
to steal the state property from ZRP by taking and selling all the vehicles to
different identified beneficiaries without the authority of the treasury,” the
documents read in part.
“The accused persons will be recommending the disposal of
the vehicles through KM Auctions (Pvt) Ltd and Chihuri, the former commissioner
general of police who is still at large, who will be approving the disposal.
“The vehicles were later registered in the name of the beneficiaries
with no receipts of purchase of KM Auction.”
It is alleged that Masukusa and Ncube would recommend the
disposal of the vehicles through KM Auction (Pvt) Ltd and Chihuri would be
approving the disposal.
This was also in violation of standing procedures where
authority to dispose of the assets must have been sought from the Home Affairs
and Finance ministry.
“The property can be disposed of in the form of donation,
burn, and bury sale by public auction.
“All the state property disposed of by public auction, the
monies from such sale should be deposited into an Exchanguer account,” the
court papers added.
“Furthermore, if the ZRP have found it fit to incorporate
the vehicles into ZRP fleet they must write a request through the secretary of
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to Treasury for consideration, once the
permission is granted the vehicles will be registered in the name of ZRP and
eventually in the master asset register of the Ministry of Home Affairs and
Cultural Heritage.
“Contrary to the aforementioned laid down procedures for
the disposal of state property, the accused persons did not carry out boards of
surveys, no recommendations from Treasury to dispose of the vehicles mentioned.
“The vehicles were purportedly disposed of through auction
sale carried out by Km Auction without engaging the treasury.
“The proceeds of sales of the vehicles sold were not
deposited into the state assets disposal account maintained by the Ministry of
Finance.”
The alleged theft of the impounded vehicles only came to
light after a ZRP audit of forfeited assets.
About 50 vehicles have been recovered to date from the
beneficiaries of the scam.
Chihuri is also accused of siphoning over US$25 million of
state funds during his 25-year reign, benefiting his family and inner circle.
The state has been trying to seize some of his properties
as well as to recover US$32million obtained through the alleged corrupt
practices.
But Chihuri has denied looting state funds.
After fleeing, Zimbabwe Chihuri sold some of the vast
properties without the knowledge of the state.
Some of his properties include a magnificent mansion in
Gletwyn comprising 16 bedrooms all en-suite, seven lounges, nine garages, a
helipad and fishing dam all sitting on a 12ha of land valued at US$7 million.
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