Lawyers representing NetOne CEO Raphael Mushanawani have written to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) demanding his immediate release, insisting their client is the victim of a calculated power grab within the organisation.
Mushanawani was arrested Monday on fraud allegations involving US$1.2 million. However, his legal team claims the charges are fabricated by rivals seeking to force him out, using the names of influential politicians to strengthen their plot.
In a letter dated September 30, 2025, and seen by NewZimbabwe.com, Mushanawani's lawyer Admire Rubaya argued that the arrest was unlawful, describing his client as being punished for "doing things right" at the parastatal.
Rubaya alleged that ZACC had been misled, insisting that all the CEO's actions were above board and backed by board approval, contrary to claims that he engaged companies without authorisation.
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"There are certain individuals who are targeting his post who have approached you (ZACC) on the basis of name dropping very powerful individuals who sit in the high echelons of power and politics in this country yet there is no involvement of any such political figures. The grand plan is for these instigators to take over as the people at the helm of NetOne," the letter states.
ZACC accuses Mushanawani of breaching company procedures by secretly engaging Lunartech Solutions (Pvt) Ltd to upgrade NetOne's SAGE 1000 system, which was meant to be replaced under a separate US$3.5 million contract awarded to Farevic Systems (Pvt) Ltd in 2022.
The commission alleges that Mushanawani did so without the approval of the Executive Committee or the Board.
However, his lawyers insist the upgrade was necessary, approved at the board level, and vital to safeguard NetOne's operations.
"Our client is at a loss as to why he finds himself languishing in police custody over an issue which exposes your officers' lack of understanding of IT systems," the lawyers wrote.
They explained that the SAP ERP system being implemented by Farevic was distinct from the SAGE 1000 system NetOne had been using for years. SAGE had reached its "end-of-sale" stage, with support from its South African vendor scheduled to end on December 31, 2024, creating what they said was a significant operational risk.
"Contrary to your claims, the upgrading of the SAGE ERP 1000 to SAGE L200 was imperative ... This was key and had been approved by the board," the lawyers said.
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They further argued that both systems had to run in parallel until the new one was proven fully functional.
The lawyers also rejected claims that Mushanawani signed addenda worth US$1.2 million to upgrade the SAGE system.
"This is false, and you are challenged to provide such evidence. For your information, the only payments which have been made thus far are for US$184,800 and US$88,002.57," the letter reads.
They equally dismissed allegations that Mushanawani entered into an unapproved consultancy contract with Diztech (Pvt) Ltd for US$79,467.
"For the record, there is no contract that was signed between Diztech (Pvt) Ltd and NetOne as alleged, neither has there been any payment of even a dime to Diztech (Pvt) Ltd ... since no such services were ever provided," the lawyers said.
Mushanawani's defence team maintains that the allegations are part of a deliberate campaign to oust him from his position. They attached board documents to support their case and warned ZACC against being used in what they called an orchestrated plot.
