Top cop appeals to ZACC

Lawyers representing police Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, have written to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption (ZACC) saying the commission’s investigator Mr Eric Chacha must recuse himself as he is allegedly obstructing the course of justice and criminally abusing his office.

Makodza was recently arrested for criminal abuse of duty as a public officer and was remanded on $10 000 bail when he appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court.

Makodza’s lawyers, Nyamayaro, Makanza and Bakasa Legal Practitioners yesterday said Chacha must recuse himself from investigating their client since he had a “corrupt” relationship with suspected land baron Felix Munyaradzi.

Munyaradzi was arrested last year on allegations of duping stand seekers in Sandton near Westgate in Harare.

The lawyers said Munyaradzi was an accused person in a case of fraud were Makodza was the complainant.

“We have been furnished by our client with evidence to prove that Felix Munyaradzi and Eric Chacha communicated on various occasions during the period between December 2020 and February 2021.

“Our client also advises that incidentally on the day of his arrest, Felix Munyaradzi and Eric Chacha spoke to each other for close to a minute. It is our client’s contention that Eric Chacha disclosed information regarding his investigation against our client to Felix Munyaradzi,” wrote one of the lawyers Mr Tapiwa Makanza.

He added: “Our client takes this view because Felix Munyaradzi warned an acquaintance of our client that he (Makodza) would soon be arrested which subsequently happened. The only person to disclose such information could only be Eric Chacha.”

Mr Makanza said their client was aggrieved by the fact that Chacha violated the Official Secrets Act and abused his authority as a public officer by disclosing information regarding an investigation of a senior public official.

“In addition, we have also made a complaint on behalf of our client against Constable Fortunate Dube, an attested police officer who has been receiving EcoCash payments from Felix Munyaradzi.

“Fortunate Dube is Eric Chacha’s wife. Our client believes that she is either dealing corruptly with Felix Munyaradzi or that she is simply a conduit for Eric Chacha to receive money from Felix Munyaradzi.

“In that regard, our client requests that he be recused from the investigation. We look forward to receiving early response.”

The letters were copied to Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and the Office of the President and Cabinet. The Herald