THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has been confronted with a volley of civil suits amounting to millions of dollars with under fire Investigations Committee chair, Goodson Nguni singled out as the most offending party.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi is among those who has decided to pursue civil action against the country’s anti-graft body.
Under High Court case number 1174/2018 Mzembi is also suing Nguni for an amount of US$10 million dollars plus costs of the suit.
It was not immediately clear from the documents furnished to New Zimbabwe what exactly the axed Zanu PF legislator was suing for.
Mzembi is, however, among Zanu PF’s G40 loyalists who were pursued by the new Emmerson Mnangagwa regime through ZACC on alleged corruption.
In another case, under record number, 1934/2018, Gender Commission chairperson Margaret Sangarwe is suing ZACC for US$1 million.
She was arrested by ZACC last month for allegedly swindling the State of millions of dollars which were intended for the holding of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) conference in Victoria Falls in 2013.
Again, Nguni has been cited as the wrongdoer through uttering “defamatory statements in the press”. The matter is now being handled by the Attorney General Civil Division.
Similarly, Norton land developer, Cuthbert Mupame, who claims illegal arrest and detention, has formally communicated his intentions to sue ZACC for $100 000.00.
“Mr Mupame intends to sue for an illegal arrest arising out of the malice of Mr. Goodson Nguni and Mr. Masiye in the sum of USD $100 000.00,” reads the document.
Former Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Dr. Godfrey Gandawa, under fire for allegedly embezzling funds belonging to the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund, also intends to sue for unlawful arrest and detention in the sum of half a million dollars.
“Potential legal suits for the unlawful arrest of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe Professor Levi Nyagura is looming,” reads the ZACC memo.
“Commissioner Goodson Nguni proceeded to issue instructions for search warrants and the arrest of the Vice Chancellor without a Commission Resolution allowing him to do so.”
Nyagura is being accused of fraudulently issuing former First Lady Grace Mugabe with a PhD she had not read for.
Besieged ZACC commissioners have turned on the heat on Nguni, petitioning Commission chair Job Whabira to act on their colleague.
They accuse the Mnangagwa linked official of politicising the commission, threatening fellow commissioners, wining and dining with suspects and even coaching the same suspects on how best to sue the commission.
Nguni vehemently denies the accusations and instead threatens his colleagues with a $250,000, 00 suit each if they persisted with their petition.
Since inception, the operations of the country’s anti-graft body have been mired in controversy with claims the institutions was being manipulated by Zanu PF politicians to settle personal scores with their rivals
