Marondera Businessman Accuses NPA & Police of Unfair Treatment
Francisco Marconati, a prominent businessman in Marondera, has accused the Central Investigation Department (CID) of the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of unfair treatment regarding cases he reported against his former business partner. Marconati claims he has been arrested over eight times on false charges but authorities have failed to act on the evidence he provided.
In a letter addressed to Police Commissioner General Godwin Matanga, Marconati expressed his concerns about the conduct of certain police officers and the NPA’s handling of his cases. He alleges that his former business partner, Li Song, illegally transferred millions of dollars to offshore bank accounts, thereby damaging Zimbabwe’s economy. Despite having clear evidence, Marconati believes the police are hesitant to bring Song to court.
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One of the cases Marconati reported involved an attempted murder allegation against Song at Dornington Police Station earlier this year. Despite obtaining warned and cautioned statements from the accused and witnesses, the investigating officers have reportedly delayed bringing the suspect to court.
Feeling frustrated by the lack of progress, Marconati wrote to the officer in charge at Dornington Police Station, expressing his concerns about the handling of his case. He requested that the matter be transferred to Harare Homicide for faster resolution, but this request was denied.
Marconati’s allegations highlight concerns about delays and reluctance in addressing serious criminal allegations, pointing to potential issues within law enforcement and the judicial system.
“I wrote to the Officer-in-charge Domington Police Station Bulawayo requesting that the case l had reported for attempted murder against Li Song be transferred to CID Homicide Harare.
” I stated my reasons in the letter, mainly being that my life and that of my son is under threat and that since all witness statements had been collected, and that accused person has on numerous occasions managed to wriggle her way out of police investigations through namedropping of high ranking government officials based in Harare.
“As such, if the matter was to be transferred to Harare, it meant that when accused person tries to play her usual cards, then any such claims would quickly be brought to the fingered authorities and handled without delay,” Marconati said in his letter to Commissioner General.
Marconati mentioned that the officer in charge at Dornington Police Station assured him that they would expedite the case, assigning it to Detective Gadzai.
Furthermore, Marconati noted that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) also filed a complaint in a separate case of externalization against Li Song. This complaint resulted in the temporary blocking of Song’s account for several months.
Additionally, Song is facing charges of money laundering and fraud for allegedly embezzling over US$2 million from the company. Despite filing reports, there has been little progress in advancing the case.
Marconati also accused the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of delaying setting trial dates for the cases he reported, citing inadequate reasons for the delays.
Last year, Marconati took legal action against CID bosses, including Jealous Nyabasa, for their failure to bring the reported dockets to court. Although the dockets were eventually brought to court following his complaint, Marconati expressed concerns that the NPA did not take action on them, raising suspicions of interference in the legal process.
