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Zimbabwe: Former telecom minister Supa Mandiwanzira prosecuted for "criminal abuse of office"

Wednesday, 07 November 2018 17:56

(Ecofin Agency) - Zimbabwe’s former minister of ICT and cybersecurity, Supa Mandiwanzira (photo), appears in court today November 7, 2018. Heard on November 6, 2018, by the criminal investigations division, the former minister who was in charge of the telecom sector till September 2018 is accused of criminal abuse of office by Zimbabwean authorities.

He is charged with having awarded a consulting contract to the Chinese company Megawatt in violation of the procedures. Supa Mandiwanzira is also being prosecuted for having unilaterally chosen the company to determine whether Huawei had not overcharged the construction of the telecom station NetOne, which it was awarded in 2012 for $248 million. According to the charges, the former minister asked Huawei to pay $1 million to Megawatt for consultancy and $4 million for services.

He is suspected of having had interests in Megawatt Company, thus the facilities he granted to the company. According to Me Brian Hungwe, the ex-minister's lawyer, the politician is contesting all the charges brought against him and he has informed the police that "Megawatt offered consultancy services at no cost to the Government. He also reminded them that the consultancy led to the recovery of tens of millions of dollars for NetOne".

Another charge against the politician is the unprocedural nomination of Tawanda Chinembiri, his personal assistant, in the board of the Post andTelecommunications Regulatory Agency of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). A nomination which cost POTRAZ $35,000 in terms of indemnities.





 
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ECOFIN AGENCY offers a selection of articles translated from AGENCE ECOFIN. Founded in 2011, Agence Ecofin is a leader in Francophone Pan-African economic news, particularly in West and Central Africa. The agency publishes daily news on nine African economic sectors: Public Management, Finance, ICT, Agribusiness, Energy, Mining, Transport & Logistics, Communication, and Training.

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