Former ZINARA executive under probe

TINASHE MAKICHI 

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is probing a former executive of the country’s road administration agency, ZINARA, over allegations of corruption and faking academic credentials.

Information gathered by Business Times shows that Michael Madanha, the board chairman of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), has lodged a complaint with ZACC citing the need for an investigation to ascertain the authenticity of the academic certificates of the former human resources director, Precious Murove, whose contract with the roads authority expired last month and the board resolved not to renew it.

Madanha confirmed yesterday that a complaint had been lodged with ZACC.

“We can confirm that we made the complaint after we had failed to ascertain whether Murove certificates were genuine or not, and as you are aware we are not an investigating authority so we referred the
matter to the investigating authorities,” Madanha said.

A source close to the developments said Murove had since been summoned, but efforts to get a comment from ZACC were fruitless.

A recent audit report exposed massive financial abuse where $142m was paid to illegally-hired road maintenance contractors. The audit done by Grant Thornton, covered the period between 2011 and 2016 when ZINARA was led by the former chief executive Frank Chitukutuku.

The report exposed a massive abuse of funds by the road administrator
where during the period under review, ZINARA collected $589.2m and only disbursed $160m (27.3%) on public projects and gobbled close to $428.4 million (72.7%) on administration.

The government is in the process of setting up regulations to seize all assets accumulated though corruption (if there is a conviction in court) as the fight against corruption in both the public and private sectors gathers pace. A special anti-corruption task force to assist in the speedy prosecution of people suspected of corruption has already been
set up in the President’s Office.

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