(NEWZIMBABWE) Ministers looted constituency funds: Tsvangirai

Monday, March 26, 2012

(NEWZIMBABWE) Ministers looted constituency funds: Tsvangirai

Ministers looted constituency funds: Tsvangirai
26/03/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has claimed that cabinet ministers also abused constituency development funds and insisted that prosecution of suspected embezzlers would continue despite a moratorium ordered by the attorney general.

Legislators get US$50,000 from treasury every year for development projects in their constituencies but Constitutional Affairs minister Eric Matinenga says some have failed to account for the funds leading to the arrest of four MPs.

Tsvangirai claimed he was aware of cabinet colleagues who also abused the fund adding the Anti-Corruption Commission – which is probing the alleged abuse – would soon arrest them.

“Corruption is corruption and those who stole money (CDFs) will be arrested even if they are government ministers,” said Tsvangirai supporters Glen View North Constituency, according to the weekly Standard newspaper.
But charges have been dropped against three MPs after the intervention of attorney general, Johannes Tomana.

Tomana said an audit of all the country’s 210 constituencies must be completed first leading to a public spat with Matinenga who insisted the arrests would continue.

“They should do a complete job such that at the end of the day no-one should say they were being targeted or isolated. These investigations are born out of an audit and it speaks logic for us to say an audit should be completed first and we can then pick out the culprits at one time,” Tomana said recently.
However, Tsvangirai backed Matinenga saying the arrests would continue.

“No one will stop the Anti-Corruption Commission from arresting corrupt ministers and MPs because as a Government we have adopted a zero tolerance on corruption,” the MDC-T leader said.

The government allocated US$8 million to the CDF last year and Tsvangirai said the facility would be increased going forward.
“There is no going back on CDF,” he said.

“Money allocated to the fund will be increased soon because we want MP’s to invest in community development projects which benefit the ordinary people.”

Labels: CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND, ERIC MATINENGA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI