Senior ZANU PF Officials Interfere With Anti-Corruption Case Involving Colleague
Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) has written a letter of complaint to Prosecutor General Kumbirai Hodzi alleging lack of progress in a fraud case involving a Gokwe Zanu PF councillor, Samson Chigaba. ACT-SA alleges that the delays are being caused by interference by senior Zanu PF officials.
Chigaba who is also a headmaster at Dzvuke Primary School, Mateta in Gokwe South is being accused of using a fake Gokwe Rural Council rates receipt book to defraud heedless villagers. He was arrested early 2017 and the matter was, however, removed from remand under unclear circumstances after the trial had commenced.
In a letter dated June 19, 2019, Act-SA director, Obert Chinhamo, stated that community members from Gokwe South were alleging interference in Chigaba’s case. The letter reads:
We have learnt through concerned community members from Gokwe South that there is alleged interference in the prosecution of Samson Chigaba who is a councillor at Gokwe South Rural District Council. It is alleged that the prosecution has been stopped due to interference by some high profile individuals.
That being the case, we are kindly asking for your intervention to ensure that the matter is prosecuted to its logical conclusion.
It is suspected that Chigaba whose ward falls under Primary and Secondary Education minister, Paul Mavima’s constituency could have used his political links to escape the charges. His case was remanded to 9 November 2017 when he appeared at Gokwe Magistrates’ Court and was granted ZW$100 bail. The matter was never prosecuted due to alleged interference.
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