HARARE – MetBank has filed a ZW$100 million defamation claim against the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and BDO Zimbabwe Chartered Accountants following the publication of a forensic audit report which has led to the arrest and detention of former public service, labour and social welfare minister, Priscah Mupfumira.

Through its lawyers, Tanyanyiwa/Gapare Attorneys, the bank said the allegations made against it in the report produced by BDO Zimbabwe Chartered Accountants were “grossly malicious and damaging”. The bank says the report caused it loss of business and tarnished its image.

According to the bank, BDO Chartered Accountants authored and subsequently published a document titled “National Social Security Authority (NSSA) Forensic Audit for the period 1 January 2015 to 28 February 2018” which apparently relied on information supplied by NSSA.

“The said document was published to the Auditor General for the Republic of Zimbabwe and was subsequently published and circulated widely in Zimbabwe and outside Zimbabwe through the print and electronic media by the first and second defendants (NSSA and BDO Zimbabwe) or other parties to whom the document had been published by them,” MetBank said in their claim filed on August 9.

“The said document is defamatory of the plaintiff’s reputation in one or more of the following ways: it states that the plaintiff (MetBank) benefited from the pressure applied to the first defendant by the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and ended up getting facilities which were not merited and that the plaintiff entered into a number of transactions with  the first defendant which did not make economic sense from NSSA’s view point resulting in prejudice or exposure to the first defendant amounting to US$62,003,796.”

MetBank says the claims made by BDO Zimbabwe were “false and defamatory” as they impute that the bank which is majority owned by businessman Enock Mamushinda “acted unlawfully and corruptly” or had benefited from favours granted by NSSA or Mupfumira.

MetBank maintains that it is a “law abiding corporate” and charges that BDO set out to “injure its reputation.”

BDO are also being sued by former NSSA board chairman Robin Vela and Housing Corporation Zimbabwe, who accuse the audit firm of incompetence and ignoring crucial documents before making adverse findings.