HARARE – Veteran journalist Geoffrey Nyarota is suing Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited (Zimpapers) for $500,000 over a story published by The Sunday Mail which claimed that he had been investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

The story was published in March last year.

Nyarota said he is failing to clear his name to people in his circle after the editor, Victoria Ruzvidzo, and reporter, Brian Chitemba, also cited as respondents, refused to retract the article.

The former Daily News editor says the article, titled ‘Red flag raised over ZACC aspirants’, alleged that there was a team of investigators from ZACC who submitted an adverse report to parliament on 16 candidates which list includes his name.

The alleged article stated that Nyarota, then aspiring to be a commissioner of the anti-graft body, was once investigated by ZACC.

According to Nyarota, the article further claimed that his appointment as a commissioner would diminish the integrity of ZACC.

“It further stated of the plaintiff that without the proper diagnosis of the corrupt nominees, ZACC cannot be able to fight corruption as it will remain a dead horse waiting for vultures to devour it,” wrote his lawyers, Warara and Associates.

Nyarota is refuting the claims.

“The article was written with malicious intention of tarnishing the good name of plaintiff so that he would be disqualified from holding public office. As a result of the defamatory publication, the plaintiff has suffered irreparable injury and this has diminished the plaintiff’s esteem or standing in the eyes of ordinary members of the general public as this had cast aspersions on his character,” the lawyers said.

“This has resulted in him being ridiculed as corrupt person who is not fit for candidature. The plaintiff was approached by several people who know him over the article and it has affected his confidence in public and among his relatives and friends alike.”

Nyarota’s lawyers say the story was understood to mean that he is corrupt and not fit to be nominated as a candidate for the position of ZACC commissioner.

Nyarota said the newspaper is widely distributed in Zimbabwe and widely read by the general public both in print and electronic version hence the damage was significant.

The matter is pending.