The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), six months ago raided NetOne and seized documents that allegedly implicated senior management and government officials as involved in suspected shady deals, but mystery surrounds the fate of the investigation.

A search warrant issued by former Harare magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe on May 24 2016 reveals that the anti-graft body was investigating the mobile operator for various deals that included contracts with Megawatt Energy, Bopela Group, appointments of senior management and other deals involving MetBank.

According to the warrant of search and seizure obtained by this paper, Zacc took among other documents that included, a tripartite agreement between NetOne, Zanu PF youth league and Bopela Group, another tripartite agreement between NetOne, Huawei and Bopela group, the NetOne-Huawei contract, a deed of settlement between NetOne and Metbank and an advertisement for the post of NetOne chief operating officer.

According to the search warrant, Zacc wanted documents concerning the Megawatt deal, a list of candidates shortlisted for senior managerial posts at NetOne and how they performed during the interviews as well as their curriculum vitaes.

This, according to Zacc sources, was due to allegations of underhand dealing involving some NetOne officials and the ICT ministry — especially regarding the Megawatt deal and recruitment of senior staffers.

An advert for the post of chief operating officer seized by Zacc states that anyone seeking the post should possess a minimum BSc Information System or Computer Science or Electronic Engineering or Telecommunications Engineering or equivalent qualification.

A CV for Brain Mutandiro who was subsequently appointed and is now NetOne acting CEO states that he has a BA (Hons) Economics from Essex University, and Masters in Business Administration from London International School.

The warrant also demanded that NetOne avails minutes of a board meeting held on December 11 2015 that deliberated on the Megawatt Energy deal.

Zacc spokesperson Phyllis Chikudura at first seemed to confirm the investigation when she said: “aaah, am not aware what happened (to) the probe”.

She later changed her story and said; “I don’t know about it”.

Last week ICT minister Supa Mandiwanzira through his lawyers, Sawyer and Mkushi said he had nothing to do with all managerial appointments made at NetOne.

The minister said he had no underhand dealings with board members or anyone appointed to serve at the parastatal and threatened to sue The Standard for defamation.

But a dossier penned by former NetOne CEO Reward kangai for President Robert Mugabe  in April last year accuses the minister of interference.

“In early 2015, after the appointment of the current minister [Mandiwanzira], the CEO was summoned to the minister’s office  to find Mr Ozias Bvute of Metbank with the minister…the summoning of the NetOne CEO by the minister was to discuss the Metbank debt to NetOne [$700 000],” Kangai wrote in the report.

“The summoning of the NetOne CEO by the minister in the presence of Mr O Bvute without prior warning was clearly intended on intimidating or cowering the CEO into accepting access of the money after a period of three years,” Kangai stated in his voluminous report.

“Mr Bvute was brazenly arrogant throughout the meeting, leaving both acting permanent secretary Cosmas Chigwamba and I perturbed as to why he carried that disposition.”

According to documents, Metbank owed NetOne $700 000 and the parastatal had battled to recover the funds due to liquidity challenges bedevilling the bank.

Documents suggest that Mandiwanzira caused NetOne and Metbank to sign a deed of settlement for the recovery of the money which was supposed to have been cleared by November 2015.

But according to Kangai’s dossier by March 2016 the bank had not cleared the debt while at least two ex-Metbank staffers had joined NetOne.

Mandiwanzira’s lawyers went on to challenge allegations that the minister had an octopus-like grip on the parastatal, saying such claims were defamatory.

But minutes of a board meeting held on February 11 2016 suggest otherwise as the minister is said to have told Kangai that “he had the prerogative to direct the board to fire the CEO”.

Mandiwanzira appointed Bvute, a former Metbank executive to lead the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe board and Peter Chingoka, also from the same bank, to head NetOne’s board in an acting capacity. – Standard