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Herald Reporter
Former Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Petronella Kagonye is expected in court today to answer fraud allegations relating to the illegal sale of State land in Harare and Mashonaland East Provinces.

She was arrested on Sunday in a coordinated operation by the Police Anti-Corruption Unit and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU).

Kagonye becomes the third former minister to be asked to account for charges relating to land allocations, and the eleventh on corruption-related charges, although four have fled the country.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that Kagonye’s arrest was coordinated by the Police Anti-Corruption Unit and SACU.

“Kagonye was arrested on fraud allegations related to illegal land sales in and around Harare and Mashonaland East provinces,” he said.

Sometime in 2015, Kagonye — through her company Glorious Properties — was sucked into Goromonzi South land disputes where she was accused of swindling cooperatives, among them Shingiriro Housing Cooperative.