A LOCAL accounting firm has lodged a complaint with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission against Public Auditors and Accountants Board (PAAB) executive secretary Admire Ndurunduru after accusing him of soliciting a bribe to facilitate the registration of the company, correspondence seen by The NewsHawks has shown.
BERNARD MPOFU
According to the letters, a registered pub[1]lic auditor, Samuel Makuvire and public accountant Last Matema jointly applied to the professions regulator last June seeking to register their audit firm called Alinial Chartered Accountants.
Before approaching Zacc, Makuvire and Matema wrote to the PAAB board chair through their lawyers Mudimu Law Chambers enquiring why their application had taken time to be processed despite the firm having furnished the body with the required documents.
“What prompted us to write to the board chairperson was a meeting we had with the Acting Deputy Secretary Donald Mangenje who called us to his office on 29 January 2024 after he had sent a whatapp message on 14 December 2023 with an unsigned registration that he said will only be signed by the Secretary and the Board Chair after we had availed 15 000USD to him and the Secretary,” reads a letter received by Zacc and the Finance ministry on 18 March, 2024.
“We called Secretary (Mr. Admire Ndurunduru) on about 30 January 2024 using 0773 036 606 confronting him why he was holding on to our certificate, ‘Donald told you what to do, hamubatsiriki (you can’t be helped)’,” he abruptly cut the call after a threat of unspecified action.
“As law-abiding citizens who do not sub[1]scribe to notion of corruption, on 31 January 2024 we wrote the board chair, seeking an emergency meeting with him where we were hoping to clearly explain the allegation against the Secretary and the Acting Deputy Secretary.”
Matema and Makuvire thus approached Zacc, citing criminal abuse of office. The meeting, according to the letter addressed to Zacc, was turned down.
The PAAB was established to promote transparency and integrity in business and to protect the financial interests of the people of Zimbabwe and that of other persons with interest in the Zimbabwean economy through effective regulation of the accountancy profession in accordance with internationally recognised standards.
Contacted for comment, PAAB vice-chair[1]person Valentine Mushayakarara declined to comment on the issue. “Unfortunately I’m not allowed to comment on that matter. Those are operational issues which I can kindly refer you to the executive secretary,” Mushayakara said in a telephone interview.
Several efforts to get hold of Ndurunduru on his given mobile phone were in vain.
