Published: 49 mins ago

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Energy Mutodi, has issued a public apology to Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga following a series of tweets that accused him of misconduct in the government's payment system.

In a press release, Mutodi acknowledged that while the concerns were raised in good faith and in line with Parliament's constitutional oversight role under Section 119(3), the allegations could not be substantiated to the level of proof beyond reasonable doubt. He said the failure to provide verifiable evidence rendered the tweets defamatory.

"I therefore wish to issue an apology, unreservedly, to Mr George Guvamatanga for the reputational damage the tweets may have caused," Mutodi stated. He further confirmed that he had already instructed for the posts to be deleted.

The development follows a recent telephone discussion between Mutodi and Guvamatanga, after which Mutodi concluded that pursuing the matter publicly was not in the national interest.

Mutodi stressed that his initial remarks were made out of principle and a desire to contribute meaningfully to governance, but conceded that the allegations unfairly tarnished the Permanent Secretary's name.

The apology marks an attempt to ease tensions between the high-ranking parliamentary chair and the Ministry of Finance amid heightened scrutiny of government spending and accountability.
- BD

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