Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi has refuted reports claiming that ZESA Holdings officials abused their offices by taking money from the parastatal for foreign travel allowances.
A leaked document shows that in 2019, the power utility company made donations to the ministry amounting to ZWL1 261 238.58 (US$60 709.54).
According to Zim Morning Post, most of the donations that were made in 2019 were international foreign travels made by Chasi and other top ministry officials.
But speaking during an interview with the online publication on Monday, Chasi insisted that there was nothing wrong about ZESA financing the ministry’s trips since they were all business-related and linked to the power utility. Said Chasi:
All parastatals pay for the travelling of their line ministries and there is nothing wrong with that.
The trips which the officials make are sanctioned by my principal (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) and are purely business trips.
The document was leaked after Chasi had suspended chief executive chairperson Sydney Gata to pave way for investigations after leaked documents suggested that he had misappropriated five company cars.
Gata had suspended the entire ZESA board which had been tasked by Chasi to investigate corruption allegations against levelled against him.