Sunday, 14 June 2020

DRAX SCAM : WE ARE READY TO PRESS CHARGES, SAYS ZACC BOSS


 ZIMBABWE Anti Corruption Commission (Zacc) has on Sunday revealed that they have completed evaluation of statements from all parties involved in the controversial procurement of COVID-19 medical supplies from Drax SAGL and will press charges, Zim Morning Post has learnt.

An inside source told this publication that the parties caught in the dragnet are Health minister Obadiah Moyo, finance ministry secretary George Guvamatanga, Natpharm chief executive Sifeku and former health ministry secretary Agnes Mahomva .

Although Drax local proxy Delish Nguwaya has already appeared in court answering to fraud charges emanating from the same matter, Zacc says it is yet to interview him.

In an interview with Zim Morning Post the Zacc boss Loice Matanda Moyo confirmed that charges will be preferred on everyone who was involved.

“I cannot mention names but after evaluating the statements today we will be in a position to know who did what and who did not do what,” Moyo said.

“We have completed evaluation of the statements from all parties involved in the murky deal and we prefer charges on all of them.

“We believe everyone who had a hand in this deal through his or her mandate is an accessory to fraud.

“Everyone who was involved in the due diligence process and appended his or her signature must answer to criminal charges and we have gathered enough evidence and paper trail to press charges,” she said.

This comes as sources told this publication that sparks flew on Friday during interrogation between Moyo and Mahomva as the no nonsense former secretary accused Moyo “of handpicking the controversial company, Drax International.”

“The two, Moyo and Mahomva arrived around 5:30 pm and left around 2130 hours,” said the source.

“The interrogation turned nasty as Mahomva fumed that her stint at the health ministry was marred by the minister’s interference.

During his interview Guvamatanga implicated higher offices with special emphasis on top being Health ministry authorities and some directors in the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

This publication has it on good authority that when Guvamatanga was summoned by police and ZACC this week, he explained that his hands were tied and he only acted within his ministry’s statutory duties that require consultation with relevant security authorities before he approved payment.

“Guvamatanga made it clear that he was a mere civil servant with a limited mandate especially with matters within the jurisdiction of the Special Oversight Procurement Committee (SPOC) which deals which such purchases.

Guvamatanga also said he exchanged several correspondences with the Health ministry, the president’s office and the National Pharmacy where he raised a redflag over the deal.

The President’s office sources told this publication that Drax failed security checks twice but Moyo went ahead and gave his ministry a greenlight to work with the controversial company.

Mahomva’s statement comes at a time when the president’s office has also thrown the ball into Moyo’s court.

As was reported by this publication, the officials from the president’s office said Drax failed security checks but the health minister went ahead to deal with such a “shelf company.”

It has also emerged that Interpol has taken interest in the matter which is being treated as money laundering according to reports by some publications. Zim Morning Post

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