Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi has turned the sword
on the prosecutor he assigned to deal with the criminal abuse case of former
Minister Supa Mandwanzira and ordered investigations into his alleged
misconduct. Mr Edmore Nyazamba is being accused of gross misconduct after he
allegedly failed to obey instructions to file a response opposing Mr
Mandiwanzira’s application for review.
Mr Mandiwanzira obtained a default judgment against the
prosecution in the case in which he sought to quash the charges of corruption
involving the $218 million consultancy deal signed between NetOne and South
Africa-based Megawatt Energy.
Justice Mathonsi granted the application and acquitted Mr
Mandiwanzira of the charge.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Hodzi said the State did not
file a response to Mr Mandiwanzira’s application for review and has since
ordered an investigation into his conduct.
He said Mr Nyazamba did not file a response within the
stipulated time frame as duly instructed and that his office had activated
internal disciplinary processes.
“I have ordered a thorough investigation into the matter,
particularly the conduct of the prosecutor who was assigned to handle the
matter,” he said.
“It is completely unacceptable for any prosecutor to fail
to abide by court rules or court procedures. This constitutes gross misconduct
and the prosecutor concerned has been ordered to stop all prosecutorial duties
forthwith, until the investigations into his conduct have been finalised.
“We will leave no stone unturned as we interrogate the
facts at hand, to see why procedures and due process were flouted by our own
prosecutor. We have also reported the matter to the police.”
Mr Hodzi said when he perused the record of proceedings, he
noted with dismay that the State did not file a response to the matter.
The matter, he said, was then heard as unopposed, which was
not supposed to be the case, as the State was opposed to the matter.
“The matter was decided on the merits and this gives us
room to appeal. We are preparing our notice of appeal which will be filed next
week,” he said.
Mr Hodzi also said he and the National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA) were not served with the notice of set-down in the review
hearing of Mr Mandiwanzira’s case.
He reassured the public that his office and the NPA take
all court appearances seriously, particularly in the superior courts, saying
the prosecution of high-profile anti-corruption matters remains a top priority.
“In that regard, I have put in place stringent guidelines
and measures to ensure that all high-profile anti-corruption matters are
handled with speed and efficiency.
“These are handled by a minimum of three highly experienced
public prosecutors, and of these three, one prosecutor is a member of the elite
Specialised Anti-Corruption Unit.” Herald
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