Mpofu quizzed over $600 000

TRANSPORT minister Obert Mpofu was yesterday taken to task over about $600 000 that was allegedly siphoned from the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to pay legal fees.

TRANSPORT minister Obert Mpofu was yesterday taken to task over about $600 000 that was allegedly siphoned from the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to pay legal fees.

CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER

Mpofu was asked about the money in the ongoing High Court trial of Core Mining and Mineral Resources director Lovemore Kurotwi over the alleged $2 billion fraud. He was being cross examined by Kurotwi’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa.

Mpofu, the former Mines minister, is being cross examined in the case where Kurotwi and former ZMDC chief executive Dominic Mubaiwa is accused of prejudicing the government of $2 billion investment involving Canadile Miners. The company was a joint venture between Core Mining and Mineral Resources and ZMDC-owned Marange Resources.

Mtetwa said Mpofu allegedly wrote to former ZMDC chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa, instructing him to “promptly pay” the legal fees although he had not established whether services had been rendered to warrant such payments. She said Kurotwi was an interested party in the funds that were paid out since

$300 000 was withdrawn from Canadile Miners’ coffers and paid out for services that had nothing to do with Mpofu’s ministry.

However, Mpofu refuted the claims saying the legal fees were paid by the Mines ministry to lawyers that had been instructed by the Attorney-General (AG)’s office.

However, chief law officer, Chris Mutangadura objected to Mtetwa’s line of questioning arguing Mtetwa was trying to force the minister to reveal privileged information. This was after Mpofu, who was later warned by the court to answer questions, had on several occasions refused to respond to any queries relating to the authorisation of payment of the legal fees.

The minister said he was not prepared to release privileged information.

“There are several cases that had nothing to do with the Mines ministry and the minister authorised payment.

“It’s a matter of national interest that ministers do not authorise payment for services not rendered to their ministries,” Mtetwa said addressing High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu.

“It is in the public interest because Canadile is in the dock and the court should find out whether the minister exercised his duties properly.”

But Mutangadura argued that Mtetwa’s line of questioning was targeting the minister himself and urged the court to uphold his objection.

“The bill of costs was directed to the Ministry of Mines by legal practitioners who had been contracted by the AG’s office,” he said.

“There was a lawyer-client relationship that existed and the services were rendered to the Ministry of Mines.

“These are facts extracted from a privileged communication.

“The questions by Mtetwa are simply meant to dramatise the proceedings and done with malice without having any relevance at all.”

Justice Bhunu then ordered the postponement of the matter to August 27 in order to give a ruling on whether Mtetwa should continue asking Mpofu about issues relating to his letter to ZMDC.

Mtetwa asked Mpofu whether Core Mining was paid its dividends from the diamond mining joint venture and the minister said it was not his responsibility to ensure such payments were made.

Pressed to explain what happened to Core Mining’s dividends, Mpofu said: “I cannot comment on that, dividends go to the Ministry of Finance and not Ministry of Mines.”

Mpofu was asked to comment on the agreement between ZMDC and Core Mining which allegedly instructed Kurotwi’s firm to be paid dividends and the alleged disappearance of $10 million from Canadile coffers.

“Those are your allegations, the agreement you are referring to is a fraudulent agreement and it’s a fraudulent piece of paper, which was not signed by the government,” he said.