ED lawyer blasts ‘legal corruption’ behind Wadyajena not paying duty for $420k Lamborghini
By Veneranda Langa | NewsDay |
Tinomudaishe Chinyoka, one of the lawyers who was part of the team that represented President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the Constitutional Court challenge on the 2018 presidential elections, yesterday blasted what he called “legal corruption” by legislators during the public interviews for aspiring members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc).
Chinyoka cited Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena’s acquisition of a US$420 000 Lamborghini Urus 2019 version vehicle without paying duty as a clear case of corruption.
The interviews were presided over by the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda, together with a panel that included Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for planning and implementation Joram Gumbo, Senate deputy president Michael Nyambuya, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Thabitha Khumalo and several MPs and senators.
Asked about his understanding of corruption, Chinyoka said: “It also involves legal corruption, which is when people with access to law-making powers can make some things legal, but which do not pass the test of being legal to the general public.
“We have an MP importing a very expensive vehicle without paying duty because there is a law allowing MPs to do this, but even if you ask my mother in the village, they will tell you there is something wrong with an MP importing a half-a-million vehicle without paying duty.”
In another question on the independence of Zacc, Chinyoka said it must have good, honest investigators that are not part of cartels in the Judiciary with a habit of causing loss of documents, adding that there were some syndicates in court processes that assisted corrupt, but well-connected powerful criminals to go scot-free.
“You find a person being given a contract to do a solar project when, in fact, they have never built a tuckshop (referring to Wicknell Chivayo). It is a shame that we do not have a single person going to sleep at and eat prison dinner at Chikurubi (Maximum Security Prison) in a country where there is a lot of corruption,” Chinyoka said.
Another candidate, Gabriel Chaibva, boasted of being a mathematician and chartered accountant, saying he would use those qualifications to sniff out corrupt activities.
Chaibva said he would give corrupt individuals a tough time as a commissioner because he was conversant with international financial standards, which made him well acquainted with how to spot criminal activities in finance.
Former Kwekwe Central legislator Blessing Chebundo (MDC) failed to turn up for the interviews.
Female candidates also fared well, with former Harare West MP Jessie Majome saying there should not be sacred cows in the fight against corruption, and adding that politicians should walk the talk on zero tolerance to corruption.
“Zacc commissioners should not be influenced by politicians because at the end of the day, it is Zimbabwe that is bleeding from corruption,” she said.
