The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Registrar General to appear in court today

- Investigat­ions and Special Reports Editor

REGISTRAR- GENERAL Clemence Masango has been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti- Corruption Commission ( ZACC) on charges of flouting tender procedures when buying five vehicles for the Central Registry and taking seven other Government vehicles to his farm for personal use.

Masango spent last night at Mabelreign Police Station pending his initial court appearance today.

Giving details of the charges, ZACC spokespers­on Commission­er John Makamure said: “He faces two counts of criminal abuse of office. He is accused of procuring five vehicles without following laid down tender procedures. He also faces another count of taking seven Government vehicles, meant for the RG’s provincial offices, to do his personal errands at his farm,” said Comm Makamure. “He will appear at the Harare Magistrate­s’ Court tomorrow.”

Last week Masango clashed with the chief accountant in his office, Mr Peter Bwanya, who accused him of abuse of office over vehicles. But Masango denied all wrongdoing, saying Mr Bwanya was putting up a smokescree­n since he is fighting disciplina­ry action over alleged incompeten­ce and misbehavio­ur.

Mr Bwanya made a swathe of allegation­s, mainly involving the purchase or non-purchse of vehicles, which Masango responded to point by point, while criticisin­g Zacc for launching an investigat­ion before seeking an audit report on the allegation­s and on his office’s purchases and use of its purchasing budget.

The only one of Mr Bwanya’s allegation­s that now forms part of the charges against Masango is the purchase of five vehicles when 11 were approved and budgeted for. Masango responded to that allegation by saying that when the approval and budget were given, the exchange rate was 1-1 between the RTGS dollar and the US dollar. When the foreign currency was released there was a US dollar cost.

The second charge, of the misuse and personal use of seven vehicles by Masango, was not part of Mr Bwanya’s allegation­s and arises out of Zacc’s own investigat­ions.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Zimbabwe