Magistrate rules there is no evidence against Wadyajena in US$5,8m case

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ally and Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena has been removed from remand in the case he is being accused of fraud involving money laundering of at least US$5,8 million.

This comes after a Harare magistrate ruled that the State had no evidence against Wadyajena.

Accordingly, the State will proceed by way of summons. The court ruled that the State arrested to investigate.

The flamboyant MP was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in August last year together with together with Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) managing director Pius Manamike, head of marketing, operations, ginning and logistics, Maxmore Njanji and Procurement Specialist Fortunate Molai, and Pierpont Moncroix Director Chiedza Danha on suspicion that they laundered more than US$5,8 million.

The four suspects were granted ZWL 200 000 bail before they made several applications to deny the charges.

Through his lawyer Oliver Marwa, Wadyajena accused ZACC of being “dragged into some political games”.

“There cannot be anything more evil than what ZAAC is doing against the fourth accused. This court is now being dragged into some political games and the public is crying that ZAAC is arresting and releasing people; it has turned into a ‘catch-and-release’ game,” said Marwa.

During the peak of the matter, authorities at the Beitbridge Border Post seized a 4×4 Lamborghini Urus worth US$420 000 and a BMW X6 vehicle belonging to the Zanu-PF MP.

Meanwhile, Wadyajena and the four Cottco bosses are now off the hook.