MUTARE businessman, Tendai Blessing Mangwiro, who has been fighting to recover over $1,6 million seized by police in 2008, has once again approached the High Court seeking to garnish the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s (ZRP) bank accounts to recover his money after other avenues had hit a snag.
BY CHARLES LAITON
Two months ago, Mangwiro approached the same court seeking former Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo’s incarceration over contempt of court, for defying an earlier order compelling him to pay the businessman. Chombo was, however, spared after he convinced the court that he had complied with the order.
This prompted Mangwiro to then approach the High Court last week seeking an order to garnish police’s bank accounts and recover his money.
“It is, therefore, beyond doubt that the first respondent (Home Affairs minister) who is the nominal defendant and the other defendants in reference case HC4766/13 resolved that they do not have any other option except to pay and furthermore the first respondent as the nominal respondent had already granted the authority to pay in fulfilment (Mangwiro) of the court orders in question out of the consolidated revenue fund by requesting the second respondent (Minister of Finance and Economic Development, now Ignatius Chombo), to pay,” Mangwiro said.
“To date, despite the above nothing has been paid and more so the first respondent after writing letters is declared to have done all of what is required of him by the State Liabilities Act in order to cause payment hence it is now left for the second respondent and his functionary being third respondent (Finance permanent secretary) to effect payment in order to satisfy the court orders in question.”
“Therefore it is for the above mentioned reasons that I am applying for an order to garnish the first respondent’s funds from being received from the State….I am also seeking for costs on an ordinary scale from the first respondent since this is an execution process against the first respondent who is the judgment debtor.”
The matter is yet to be set down for hearing.
