Judgment day for ex-Zinara bosses
A Harare magistrate is today expected to hand down judgment in the case in which two former Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) executives are accused of corruptly awarding a tender for the rehabilitation of roads in three local authorities to a local company.
Former Zinara’s chief executive Frank Chitukutuku and ex- technical director Moses Juma denied the allegations of awarding the tender to Fremus Enterprises for rehabilitation of roads under Gutu Rural District Council, Zaka Rural District Council and Gwanda Rural District Council.
Fremus Enterprises is owned by Freddy and Masline Chimbari.
Regional magistrate Mr Taurai Manuwere is expected to deliver the judgment today.
The two allegedly received more than US$140 000 from Fremus Enterprise after awarding it the tender for work in the three local authorities’ jurisdictions.
During trial, Juma, through his lawyer Mr Mabasa Mukome, told the court that he was once acquitted by a special tribunal on the same facts in 2017.
Juma denied the allegations, saying between January and June 2011, he was not working at Zinara headquarters as alleged by the State.
He told the court that he was actually working in Bulawayo as a planning and monitoring engineer and was only appointed as technical director in March 2013.
Juma told the court that funds allocation and roads approval were done by the Zinara board, while procurement, service providers and the appointment of contractors is done by respective road authorities.
In his defence, Chitukutuku, who is being represented by his lawyer Mr Jonasi Dondo, denied the allegations.
He denied that he was involved in hatching a plan to defraud Zinara of any amounts of money as alleged or at all.
He also denied that he handpicked certain rural district councils to benefit from any Special Fund Projects as alleged or at all.
According to his defence outline, Chitukutuku stated that he was only aware of two programmes that Zinara was involved in namely the routine road maintenance programme and the periodic maintenance road programme.
In this case, he denied imposing a contractor to any council as alleged, saying that he had no powers and authority to do so.
Regarding the money, he allegedly received from Fremus Business Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd, Chitukutuku said it was
payment towards the purchase of a 40 percent shareholding in Champions Insurance Company.
Chitukutuku is the director of Champions Insurance and sought to demonstrate that in February 2010, he, through his company called Hotspike (Pvt) Ltd, was able to conclude a contract with Fremus Business Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd in terms of which Fremus purchased the 40 percent shareholding in Champions Insurance for an amount of US$100 000 which amount Fremus undertook to pay with interest over a period of time.