Zimbabwe’s health minister, Obadiah Moyo has been arrested on Friday for alleged corruption related to the supply of medical materials to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) spokesperson John Makamure has confirmed the arrest.
“I can confirm that Minister Moyo has been arrested and is currently in police custody. That’s all I say for now,” he said.
Moyo has been accused of illegally awarding a US$42 million tender to Drax International for the supply of COVID-19 drugs and personal protective equipment fully aware the company was not a pharmaceutical but a consultancy firm.
The local representative of Drax International, Delish Nguwaya is currently in remand prison after he was denied bail last Monday.
Moyo becomes the second minister in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to be arrested over corruption.
The other is former Tourism Minister, Prisca Mupfumira whose case is still pending before the courts.
The government of Zimbabwe last week ordered the cancellation of all contracts for the supply of medicines and sundries by Drax, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.
The country has detected 479 virus cases, including four deaths, although that figure is believed to be underestimated due to a lack of testing.
