HIGHER and Tertiary Education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa has accused a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) commissioner of engineering his arrest to settle personal scores.
BY STAFF REPORTER
Gandawa made the allegations in an affidavit after filing an application at the Harare Magistrates’ Court seeking his case to be referred to the Constitutonal Court (ConCourt), where he would challenge the legality of his arrest over allegations he abused over $400 000 siphoned from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).
He was arrested late last year together with his boss, Jonathan Moyo. Moyo’s case, where he is also challenging his arrest, is also before the ConCourt.
Gandawa said he was misled to visit Zacc offices for an interrogation after he was told not to bring any documents that could have helped his case and that his lawyer was gagged.
He said Goodson Nguni, the Zacc commissioner responsible for investigations, seemed to take a particular interest in the case, which led to the violation of his rights.
“Prior to this, and on October 13, 2016, [the] Zacc commissioner responsible for investigations addressed a Press conference, whereat, he alleged I abused State funds to pay rentals for girlfriends among other damaging, false and defamatory allegations,” Gandawa said.
“He distributed my bank statement to members of the Press. This conduct is unprecedented. I have been subjected to attack in the public media on allegations that I abused my office.”
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He said the search warrants used to obtain documents at Zimdef and his private company were not properly obtained. “The documents that commissioner Nguni distributed at his Press conference were obtained in terms of warrants of search and seizure, issued on July 27, 2016 and September 29, 2016,” he said.
“The warrants were to search for and seize documents at Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund and at a company called Fuzzy Technologies and the ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development.
“I contend that these search and seizure warrants were improperly obtained, as the Constitution and the law relating to warrants and search by Zacc, were not complied with.
“The search warrants were enforced by commissioner Nguni himself. Commissioner Nguni, who clearly is pursuing a personal interest in the matter, has written a letter of demand to me alleging defamation.”
Moyo accuses Nguni of pushing a Zanu PF factional agenda by pursuing the case. Gandawa insists that his arrest, detention and placement on remand were unconstitutional. He also wants the search warrants to be declared unlawful.
