Categories: Stories

Zimbabwe top cop and public prosecutor nabbed over shady US$1 million land deal

An assistant commissioner in the Zimbabwean police force and a chief public prosecutor have been arrested in connection with a land deal scandal in Kuwadzana, state media reported today.

Assistant commissioner Obeylaw Moyo, the deputy director of the criminal investigation department’s commercial crimes unit, and chief public prosecutor Clement Chimbare were arrested on bribery allegations involving the US$1 million Kuwadzana stands scandal,  the Herald reported.

They were arrested on Wednesday and are expected to appear in court soon.

The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) reported that the Harare City Council last week suspended human resources director and former housing director Matthew Marara and 13 other employees to allow investigations into corruption allegations that could have cost council of US$1.1 million in shoddy land deals in Kuwadzana.

The group allegedly sold 152 stands illegally in Kuwadzana in a deal marred with irregularities in the approval of plans and production of layout plans, costing the council US$1 141 779 in the process.

They allegedly identified open spaces in Kuwadzana. There was no application for change of land use. The group then created fictitious payment schemes and fraudulent layout plans.

The plans were presented as though they had been approved by the council and were used to facilitate water connections and the creation of accounts in the municipal finance system.

Online news publication Zim Morning Post reported in June that an officer in the Department of Housing and Community Services at the Harare City Council had exposed massive corruption in the allocation of housing stands two weeks before she committed suicide.

A housing officer responsible for allocating housing stands on behalf of the Harare City Council, she revealed how municipal land was being packed away by corrupt top council officials for personal gain.

In her suicide note she also implicated 14 top employees in the Harare City Council’s housing department.-ANA

(78 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 12:57 pm

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Recent Posts

Zimbabwe among the top countries with the widest gap between the rich and poor

Zimbabwe is among the top 30 countries in the world with the widest gap between…

November 14, 2024

Can the ZiG sustain its rally against the US dollar?

Zimbabwe’s battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued…

November 10, 2024

Will Mnangagwa go against the trend in the region?

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to…

October 22, 2024

The Zimbabwe government and not saboteurs sabotaging ZiG

The Zimbabwe government’s insatiable demand for money to satisfy its own needs, which has exceeded…

October 20, 2024

The Zimbabwe Gold will regain its value if the government does this…

Economist Eddie Cross says the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) will regain its value if the government…

October 16, 2024

Is Harare the least democratic province in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, which is a metropolitan province, is the least democratic province in the…

October 11, 2024