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(NEWZIMBABWE) Attorney General widens CDF abuse probe

Attorney General widens CDF abuse probe
11/03/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

THE Attorney General has ordered a probe into all the country’s 210 Members of Parliament – expanding an investigation into abuse of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which previously targeted 55 lawmakers.

Four MPs have been arrested over the last two weeks after the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs – assisted by the Auditor General and the Anti-Corruption Commission – identified looting of the US$8 million fund in 10 constituencies.

But the Attorney General Johannes Tomana says that probe – a “sample audit” of 55 constituencies picked at random – may have let off dozens of other corrupt MPs.

All 210 constituencies were allocated US$50,000 each at the end of 2009 after Finance Minister Tendai Biti established the CDF, which is meant to give MPs financial resources to aid deserving projects in their constituencies.

Four MPs - Albert Mhlanga (MDC-T, Pumula), Marvellous Khumalo (MDC-T, St Mary’s), Franco Ndambakuwa (Zanu PF, Magunje) and Cleopas Machacha (MDC-T, Kariba) – have all been arrested and charged with corruption over the abuse of the fund.

But Tomana has ordered a halt to the prosecutions until a complete audit is done in all 210 constituences.

In a letter to the Constitutional Affairs Ministry, Tomana said: “... I have noted the need for all of us to properly, comprehensively and fairly deal with the results of the ongoing CDF audit which has given rise to investigations and arrests currently being handled by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe, by doing the following:

“ First complete the audit of the CDF for all constituencies; Forward the report to me for consideration in terms of Section 76 (4) and (4a) of the Constitution; and hold in abeyance all current investigations and arrests by the Anti-Corruption Commission and prosecutions by my office related to the CDF.”
He demanded that the audit be completed by the end of June 2012.

Tomana’s intervention will send shockwaves through the corridors of power as more MPs face the real prospect of arrest in the coming months.

One MP said: “An audit, by definition, is about all and not some. I know for certain that many of my colleagues presented fictitious accounts because what is in their reports does not match what is on the ground. They presented good paperwork that is hiding bad practice.”

Labels: CDF, JOHANNES TOMANA, MDC CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 5:21 PM