Public Accounts Committee chairperson Tendai Biti (MDC-Alliance, Harare East) says that
should the fuel and commodities firm fail to stick with the deadline, the committee will
be forced to engage the police to drag the company bosses to appear before Parliament
for scrutinyBiti’s committee wishes to probe how the firm dealt with Government under the Command Agriculture.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts has given Sakunda Holdings
and its founder Kudakwashe Tagwirei the last chance to appear before the committee on
16th March.
“We are expecting to present our report to Parliament on March 22nd, and we have
given Sakunda Holdings another chance to come before us and give oral evidence. We
have gathered a lot of information on the financial transactions that occurred between
Sakunda Holdings and the Treasury.
“As a committee, we do not want to reach a situation where we will have to engage the
police through the Clerk of Parliament to summon Sakunda Holdings executives including
Kudakwashe Tagwirei to appear before Parliament and give evidence,” Biti told
Zimbabwe Voice.
Biti said his committee had reached a conclusion that Treasury funds handed to Sakunda
for Command Agriculture were not used for the intended purposes, but that view can
change if Sakunda bosses convince the Public Accounts committee otherwise.
“Sakunda Holdings bosses must stop this business of dodging us, so this is the last
chance that we are giving them. We will definitely rope in the police if the last chance is
not taken up,” said Biti.
Biti further said the Privileges, Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act empowered a
Parliamentary committee to summon any person or organization to appear before it and
submit any evidence that may so be required.
“As a committee, we do have the powers to conduct the hearings and get the evidence
we need. We are to write a report to Parliament and end this probe into Command
Agriculture, but we cannot do that if Sakunda Holdings is this evasive.
“If we fail to summon Kudakwashe Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings, then there is no
probe into Command Agriculture to talk about and the matter will never die out just like
that“Sakunda Holdings is central to the probe into Command Agriculture as it was paid
billions of public funds by Treasury and that money has to be accounted for,” fumed Biti,
who is also the opposition MDC Vice President?
Documents from Treasury show that Sakunda Holdings was paid US$2 billion in public
funds thought Treasury Bills during the period that Command Agriculture was in
operation, around 2015 to 2017.
Previous sittings of the Public Accounts Committee meant to grill Tagwirei, who is a
Zanu-PF benefactor, have failed after Zanu-PF MPs pulled out of Biti’s committee, leaving
him without a quorum to conduct the hearings.
The Zanu-PF MPs pulled out last years in retaliation after MDC MPs had walked out on
President Emmerson Mnangagwa as he presented his State of the Nation Address in
Parliament, saying they did not recognize his legitimacy.
Source – Zimetro
In other news >> ZACC reportedly investigating Pokello’s property and assets in Dubai
ZACC reportedly investigating Pokello’s property and assets in Dubai. The entrepreneur who owns an upmarket boutique at Sam Levy’s Village and keeps her cards close to her chest is alleged to have spent a huge amount of funds out of the country.
Zimbabwean socialite, businesswoman and former Big Brother Africa housemate, Pokello Nare is reportedly being investigated by Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) over the property she allegedly acquired in…continue reading.