Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) FBI fugitive seeks Zanu PF cover

FBI fugitive seeks Zanu PF cover
by Lebo Nkatazo
12/10/2009 00:00:00

A CHARITY boss wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) on allegations of fraud is seeking Zanu PF protection after claiming the charges were “fabricated” by individuals said to have opposed “support he lent to the Zimbabwe government”.

Zimbabwean police confirm they have received a request from Interpol to apprehend Phillip Mazorodze, 45, and send him back to the US state of Indiana to face “counterfeit/forgery, fraud and theft” charges.

Mazorodze is head of WishKids International, a US-registered charity.
New Zimbabwe.com revealed last month that Mazorodze was a fugitive after he applied and was interviewed by MPs to be a member of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which will oversee Zimbabwe’s next elections.

Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena last Friday said they were “trying to verify if Mazorodze was still in Zimbabwe”, just days after he handed over 155 wheel-chairs bought from China to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The wheel-chairs were distributed to three Harare hospitals.

But Mazorodze’s charm offensive on the unsuspecting Prime Minister will look like a desperate attempt to influence

Zimbabwean officials to prevent him being sent to the United States to face the music.

Mazorodze told the state-run Herald newspaper on Saturday that he was in Harare and “not hiding from anyone”.

“The issue was ironed out last year and neither US authorities nor Interpol are looking for me,” he said, before casting himself as a political target of “people who were against the idea of supporting Zimbabwe because of the sanctions on the country.”

Despite his claims, Mazorodze is still listed on the Interpol website as “wanted” (SEE HERE).

Mazorodze said: “The allegations were fabricated by some individuals who were against the support I lent to the government. It started when I was in America when we used to run programmes to support medical institutions in Zimbabwe.

"But I am Zimbabwean and I should support my country. I have vowed to continue supporting Zimbabwe.”

Mazorodze’s pitch is a common stance taken by businessmen and other suspected criminals to scare civil servants – including the police -- from pursuing any action against them for fear of upsetting powerful Zanu PF officials.

Mazorodze slipped out of America early this year as police closed in, leaving behind a wife and three children. He denies abandoning his family.

Mazorodze’s charity claims to have "substantial experience (in) implementing HIV/Aids welfare projects and poverty reduction income-generating projects in developing nations, especially Africa".

WishKids says it "offers solutions for developing country projects", claims "significant experience with United Nations Population Fund impact evaluation projects" and states that its specialties "include designing management structures for efficient project implementation and effective evaluative project-data collection systems".

Labels: MDC CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 5:14 PM