CHIEF law officer in the Attorney General’s Office Chris Mutangadura has been implicated in an alleged $150 000 bribery scam that has taken centre stage in a matter where three suspects are on trial for allegedly stealing money and equipment valued at over $4 million from Trauma Centre Hospital in Harare. REPORT BY CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
Hospital owner Vivek Solanki told regional magistrate Clever Tsikwa that the transaction of the “kickback” cash was carried out in Mutangadura’s office during the presence of his relative who later turned out to be the informant in the matter.
Solanki made the revelations yesterday while under intense cross-examination by Harare lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa whom he accused of facilitating the payment of the bribery cash by handing it over to Mutangadura.
Mtetwa asked Solanki if he was aware that he had made serious allegations against herself, senior law officers and the Attorney-General’s Office to which he replied: “I said you corruptly paid the officer in the AG’s office to influence the issuance of a warrant of arrest against me. You went there in the company of one John Smith who is employed by the accused.”
Solanki, however, admitted he personally did not witness the cash transaction between Mtetwa and Mutangadura, but was advised by his informant whose particulars he was not prepared to divulge without instructions from his lawyer Jonathan Samkange.
Magistrate Tsikwa later ruled in favour of the defence and cleared the court to allow Solanki to divulge the name of his informant as the trial continued.
After a brief adjournment, Mtetwa asked Solanki how his informant relayed the information to him and he said: “He came to the hospital and told me what had happened. Later we met at Samkange’s office in the presence of an officer from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and all that he said was recorded.”
Mtetwa again asked Solanki why no action was taken against those that had been reported to the ACC, to which Solanki replied that the issue was sensitive and after realising that his life was under threat from the accused persons he reported the matter to the President’s office.
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Mtetwa further asked Solanki to whom in the President’s office did he reported to and he said to one “General” Tapfumaneyi. On Tuesday, the hospital saga took a new twist after it emerged that the stolen equipment was moved to Mozambique where it was intended to be used in treating casualties of war.
Solanki said accused Peter Annesley, Mavis Mushonga and Paul Stevenson’s bosses based in Britain were working in cahoots with Mozambique opposition Renamo leader Alfonso Dhlakama and local corrupt ministers to cause instability in the southern African region.
