ZACC says ‘we will only investigate after watching Al Jazeera documentary’
An official from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) says they will only launch investigations into the individuals featured in an Al Jazeera corruption documentary when they have watched the full four part series dubbed “Gold Mafia”.
ZACC spokesperson Thandiwe Mlobane spoke to the NewZimbabwe.com website and gave the organisations response to the documentary that was meant to be broadcast last Thursday but was temporarily shelved by Al Jazeera, who say they are working on a new timeline for release.
“As Zacc, we have not seen the said documentary. It has not been published and I do not know where people are getting all this information from.
“Until we see the published documentary, then we will do our investigations but for now people should not speculate,” Mlobane told the website.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Dr John Mangudya was fuming on Monday over the snippets released by Al Jazeera.
In a statement, Mangudya accused Aljazeera of having a sinister agenda because he bizarrely expected the leaked snippets to include the Bank’s responses to 32 questions sent by the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit in connection with the allegations.
“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (the Bank) is concerned and disturbed by sensationally wild, false and malicious media reports, carried in snippets of an unscreened Al Jazeera documentary, produced by the network’s Investigative Unit, purveying the impression that the Bank is “Southern Africa’s laundromat” or “Southern Africa’s laundry service” for an alleged African gold mafia involved in illicit gold dealings, corruption and money laundering,” read the statement.
“It is unbelievable that such bizarre claims, allegedly made by private individuals who have no relationship with the Bank whatsoever, have been elevated to gospel truths and published with reckless abandon.
“It is particularly strange that the reports claim that “through the Bank, Government is using illicit ways as a scheme to bust international sanctions placed on political leaders and government entities”. The Bank is not a sanctioned entity, and the cited individuals are not sanctioned persons either.”
The main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the statement by Mangudya shows that the government has been lying.
“The RBZ Governor has confirmed that there are no sanctions on Zimbabwean imports and exports. Zanu-PF has been lying that such sanctions are in place.
“The dunderheads have nowhere to hide. Nick Mangwana (government spokesperson) confirmed that they’re corrupt. We know they’ve failed inexcusable,” she said.
