Story by Gay Matambo
THE former Chiredzi Town chairman, Francis Moyo, who was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission this Thursday facing charges of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer, made his initial appearance at Chiredzi Regional Court this Friday.
Circumstances are that on the 14th of May 2013, a developer, Inotrade Investments applied for residential stands in Chiredzi Township from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
The court heard that Inotrade Investment was offered 50 residential stands in Tshovani township by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
It is further alleged that the accused person using his position as the council chairman of Chiredzi Town Council hatched a plan and corruptly benefitted from the 50 commonage stands reserved for the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
The court heard that on the 17th of December 2014, Inotrade Investments and Justin Chauke Housing Cooperative entered into a partnership agreement to develop and construct 50 housing stands and investigations revealed that Inotrade Investments later handed over the project to Justin Chauke Housing Cooperative with the accused person being the chairman of the Justin Chauke Housing Cooperative and also the chairman of Chiredzi Town Council during that period.
Following the launch of an investigation on Chiredzi Town Council by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works from March 2016 to April 2016, it was established that no land intrinsic value was paid to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for the 50 residential stands.
It is alleged that the accused person’s actions led to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works suffering a prejudice of US$60 000 being the land intrinsic value that was payable.
The accused person was remanded out of custody to the 8th of March.
