STATE security agencies have reportedly engaged
International Police (Interpol) to help in the search and extradition of exiled
former Higher and Tertiary Education minister, Jonathan Moyo (pictured), so
that he returns to Zimbabwe to face trial for alleged abuse of the Zimbabwe
Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) money.
The former minister was supposed to appear at the High
Court yesterday to face fraud charges together with his former deputy Godfrey
Gandawa, his (Moyo’s) personal assistant, Shepard Honzeri and Zimdef’s
principal director of finance, Nicholas Mapute.
But the Prosecutor-General’s (PG’s) representative,
Clemence Chimbari, told High Court judge, Justice Tawanda Chitapi that Moyo
could not be located at his residence for purposes of serving him with
indictment papers.
Chimbari then made an application for separation of trial,
which the court granted and also withdrew charges against Zimdef’s chief
executive officer and accounting officer, Fredrick Mandizvidza.
“Moyo could not be located at his residence for purposes of
serving him with indictment papers . . . the State is also withdrawing charges
against the third accused person [Mandizvidza],” he said, as the State moved to
issue a warrant of apprehension against the ex-minister and Zanu PF legislator.
Investigators from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission
(Zacc) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said they had engaged Interpol to
help in the search for Moyo, who skipped the country following former President
Robert Mugabe’s ouster last November.
However, by late yesterday, Moyo’s name was not on Interpol’s
“wanted persons” list.
In December, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the
government would seek Interpol’s assistance in bringing Moyo back into the
country, but five months later, it seems the authorities have not made good on
their threat.
“We have since issued him with a warrant of apprehension
and we are working together with the ZRP.
“The said warrant was sent to Interpol,” a Zacc official,
who declined to be identified, said, adding a copy of the warrant was at their
offices.
Zacc head of investigations, Douglas Masiye confirmed the
warrant was issued at the end of March this year.
According to court procedures, Moyo could not be issued
with a warrant of arrest by the court since the court papers ordering him to
appear before the judge for trial had not been served on him.
It is the State’s contention that Moyo and his co-suspects
allegedly committed several offences sometime between November and December
2015.
Gandawa, according to the court papers, is alleged to have
failed and/or neglected to ensure that the National Manpower Advisory Council
was appointed to advise Zimdef trustees on the use of the government’s fund.
It is the State’s contention that Moyo was equally to
blame, because, as a Zimdef trustee, he was also mandated to issue directives
pertaining to the use of the funds on the advice of the National Manpower
Advisory
Council.
Once the trial starts, the State is expected to lead
evidence from 18 witnesses and also produce at least 19 copies of documentary
evidence to support its case.
In respect of count one, Gandawa is alleged to have
instructed one Richard Gotora to originate a memorandum purporting that his
ministry required funding to purchase three-dimension printers for eight
polytechnics and two industrial training colleges.
The State alleges, Gandawa singlehandedly recommended and
approved the memorandum on the same day leading to the release of $95 000,
which was paid to Wisebone Trading (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Walter Chasara, a
relative of the former deputy minister.
Gandawa is alleged to have then instructed Chasara to
transfer the $95 000 to his firm called Fuzzy Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, where he
later made withdrawals.
During the same period, Moyo is said to have instructed
Honzeri to source quotations and buy 173 bicycles, which he distributed in his
Tsholotsho North constituency, where he was a Member of Parliament.
The State alleges no computers were purchased and delivered
to the polytechnics.
In December 2015, the four men are also alleged to have
connived and Honzeri originated a memorandum requesting $107 525 funding for
the presidential computerisation programme.
The memorandum was then approved by Moyo on December 18,
2015.
The quotations for the computers, according to the court
papers, were sourced by Gandawa from his company, Fuzzy Technologies, Wisebone
Trading (Pvt) Ltd, Archmate and Great Exploits (Pvt) Ltd.
It is the State’s contention that the four men
misrepresented to Zimdef’s accountant, Upenyu Gweme, that the ministry had
requested for funding to purchase 170 computers.
The money was allegedly released and some of it was used by
Moyo to buy tri-cycles, which were distributed to chiefs and headmen in his
Tsholotsho North constituency.
The four are alleged to have used different modus operandi
to swindle Zimdef of a substantial amount of money.
Gandawa is also accused of failing to disclose his personal
interest in Fuzzy Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, a company he co-directs with his
daughter, Clarence Erene.
The trial continues on Thursday. Newsday
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