The Sunday Mail
Priscilla Kamurira
Former Cabinet Minister Walter Mzembi, who is currently facing criminal abuse of office charges, failed to appear in court for the umpteenth time yesterday, and the State has resolved to separate his cases from the co-accused.
Mzembi is currently on three ‘administrative’ warrants of arrest after his lawyer Job Sikhala formerly advised the court that he was not in a condition to stand trial as he was bedridden in South Africa from colon cancer.
Representing the State, prosecutor Brian Vito told Harare regional magistrate Hosiah Majaya that since Mzembi is not coming to court, there was need to separate the charges.
It is alleged that when Zimbabwe and Zambia won the bid to host 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) conference in 2011, Mzembi’s ministry subsequently came up with various avenues to raise the money for hosting the event in August 2013.
Mzembi reportedly initiated the engagement of consultants whose mandate was to fundraise with both local and international companies, donors and financiers.
A 24-month contract between Aaron Mushoriwa’s Professional Conference Organisers (PCO) and the Ministry of Tourism commencing on May 1 2012 was duly signed.
It is the State’s case that Mzembi was expected supervise and give instructions to the contractors.
The court heard that Mushoriwa and one Susanna Makombe Kuhudzayi, who is still at large, formed a consultancy company – Conventions Africa – which was not registered.
They were allegedly signatories to the PCO contract they entered into with the Ministry of Tourism.
It is alleged Mushoriwa and Kuhudzayi then opened a bank account with ZB Bank in the name of Conventions Africa, and made themselves signatories to the account.
It is the State’s case that using letters written on Government of Zimbabwe letterheads and originated from Mzembis’s office, Mushoriwa and Kuhudzayi approached the corporate world seeking donations in cash and kind, purportedly towards the UNWTO General Assembly.
The corporate world allegedly responded believing that they were donating towards the UNWTO conference, which was being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, and deposited the money into the unregistered company’s account.
It is believed that Mbada Diamonds donated about $1,6 million towards the UNWTO conference, of which $810 000 was transferred directly into Conventions Africa’s account.
Mushoriwa and Kuhudzayi, allegedly acting allegedly in connivance with Mzembi, withdrew money amounting to $1,6 million from Conventions Africa’s account on various occasions.
It is alleged that using the funds and donations received, Mzembi, Mushoriwa, Kuhudzayi and Saungweme bought three Ford Ranger double-cab vehicles from Croco Motors and received another Tata Xenon double-cab vehicle from Mimosa Mine.
At the end of the UNWTO conference, the accused allegedly shared the vehicles among themselves and Kuhudzayi allegedly sold his vehicle to an unsuspecting third party.
The State alleges $1,6 million was stolen and only $261 386 was recovered.
The case was remanded to August 27 2019.
