PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has allowed a second Cabinet Minister to be arrested as his anti-corruption drive once more took centre stage Monday following weeks of inaction.
Highly placed sources said that Minister in Mnangagwa’s office in charge of Policy Implementation and a close Midlands associate of the Zanu PF leader Joram Gumbo was picked up by investigators from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission early Monday.
“He has been arrested and been quizzed as we speak. He has already engaged Selby Hwacha as his lawyer,” a source said.
Gumbo has reportedly sucked in President Mnangagwa and former Finance Minister Patrick Chainamasa in the deal.
“He is claiming he is innocent and has implicated Mnangagwa and Chinamasa. Gumbo is alleging (former President Robert) Mugabe sometime in 2012 set-up a Cabinet committee chaired by Mnangagwa to structure the deal. Basically he is claiming he did not sign any papers. All were signed by the Cabinet committee chairperson (Mnangagwa) and Chinamasa,” said another source.
It could not immediately be established which police station Gumbo was being held but sources said he was called on Sunday to report to police on Monday.
While top legal practitioner Hwacha was not immediately available for comment this publication can report that Gumbo is being questioned over the murky Zim Airways deal in which government paid over US$70 million million for several aircraft from Malaysia a few years ago but to date nothing has been delivered.
Former First Lady Grace and her son-in-law Simba Chikore who Gumbo appointed Air Zimbabwe chief operating officer during his tenure as Transport Minister are also implicated in the deal but there was no information yet on whether they will be picked up.
Gumbo at one time claimed he had been a “consultant” in the aircraft deal that sent tongues wagging.
It is could be yet another test case of Mnangagwa’s resolve to fight deepening corruption after former Tourism Minister Priscah Mupfumira was arrested a few months ago over the plunder at the National Social Security Authority.
More details to follow….