TWO principal economists from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), pictured, accused of violating the Official Secrets Act by leaking an official document on social media have distanced themselves from the offence.
Smart Manda and Philton Makena are facing allegations of leaking an official document to unauthorised persons or alternatively violating the preservation of secrecy by a bank employee in contravention of the RBZ Act charges which they both denied when the trial opened yesterday.
Manda in his defence said he never communicated the said document to an unauthorised person in contravention of either the Official Secrets Act or the RBZ Act.
“He never communicated the document or shared it with Zimuto, as alleged at all, he does not know who sent or shared the document with this Bongani Zimuto,” Manda’s defence team averred.
Makena in his defence said he never had access to a confidential document belonging to the RBZ by virtue of his work or other official means and neither did he communicate an official confidential document belonging to the bank to another person.
He also stated that at the time of the alleged offence, he was not anywhere near his workplace.
“At the time of the commission of the alleged offence in April, 2020, he was at home, not going to work due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations hence without access to work physically and he never received a confidential document belonging to the RBZ through other prescribed official means,” Makena’s lawyer averred.
Prosecutors allege that in March 2020, RBZ governor John Mangudya assigned director of economic policy and research, John Mafararikwa, to work on a document titled “De-Dollarisation Road Map”, which would assist the Finance and Economic Development ministry in the de-dollarisation of the economy over a period of five years.
Mafararikwa assigned Nebson Mupunga to head a team of chief economists, including Samuel Tarinda, Getrude Machingura, Nicholas Masiyandima, Admore Jaya, Douglas Mugwambi, Paul Gilmor Mukoki, Tawanda Mubvuma and Tongai Tarubona, in discussing, brainstorming and crafting the document. Manda was also part of the team.
On April 15, 2020, claims are that Manda received the document from Mupunga on his mobile phone through an RBZ email account.
He allegedly converted the document into a portable document format (PDF) and without authority, sent it to Makena, who was not part of the team on WhatsApp.
Makena is alleged to have forwarded the document to his cousin Bongani Zimuto on WhatsApp.
The State alleges that Zimuto went on to forward the document to his superior Wonder Madyambudzi, who is a business development executive at Zimnat Life Assurance Company.
From there, the document went viral after it was shared to different social media platforms.
The RBZ information and technology department went on to conduct an investigation and Manda’s mobile phone was sent to the cyber laboratory for examination and it revealed that he received the document by email and sent it to Makena via WhatsApp.
Makena’s mobile device was also taken for examination and it showed that the document was received from Manda and was then forwarded to a contact saved as “Bongani”.
Zimuto’s mobile phone was also examined and it revealed that he received the document from Makena through WhatsApp
Claims are that the two knew that it is the mandate of Mangudya and Finance ministry permanent secretary George Guvamatanga to publish any official economic documents to members of the public.