HARARE – Chiredzi South MP Joel Sithole was on Thursday released on US$500 bail by a Masvingo court after being accused of theft for allegedly blowing his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation on beer, groceries and hotel stays.
Sithole was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on Wednesday over the alleged misappropriation of ZiG$1.2 million (about US$50,000).
He becomes the second Zanu PF MP to be arrested this year for allegedly looting the fund.
According to prosecutors, ZiG$1,234,150 was transferred to the constituency account by parliament in August last year for projects approved under the CDF, including the construction of a classroom block and roofing of staff houses at Gwaseche Primary School and Makanani Clinic.
It is alleged Sithole diverted the funds for personal use after conspiring with Edson Chauke, a co-signatory to the account.
Sithole allegedly transferred ZiG$850,000 from the CDF account to a local wholesaler for the purchase of groceries. He is further accused of spending ZiG$418,516 at grocery shops, hotels and beer outlets.
To conceal the alleged misappropriation, prosecutors say Sithole later purchased 100 bags of cement and a few roofing sheets for a different school to create the impression that project work had commenced.
As part of his bail conditions, the Masvingo Magistrates Court ordered Sithole to surrender his passport, reside at his given address and report to ZRP Chiredzi on the last Friday of every month.
He was remanded to April 24.
In January, Chiredzi West legislator Darlington Chiwa was also arrested on charges of stealing Constituency Development Funds. He was accused of squandering the money on beer, shoes, groceries and building materials.
Meanwhile, ZACC is probing Mberengwa East MP Tasara Hungwe after he allegedly transferred CDF funds to his private companies before cashing out United States dollars from a microfinance company.
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