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Court Reporter—
Air Zimbabwe Holdings (Pvt) Ltd was once fined US$800 by the State Procurement Board for not adhering to procurement regulations, the court heard yesterday. An Airzim procurement manager, who is on an indefinite leave, Mr Bothwell Gavhumende, yesterday told the court that the airline’s house was not in order as the procurement procedure was fragmented.
“My duties included procuring aircraft spares, goods and commercial goods. However, there are other areas where the procuring office did not participate, we were procuring goods while services were procured in other offices.
“I do not know how Navistar Insurance Company was appointed because the insurance procuring process was under the company secretary’s portfolio.
“I later gathered that Zimre (Reinsurence) Company (Pvt) Ltd was on the sanctions list and in order for the airline to evade sanctions and have insurance cover, there was need to appoint another company. However, Navistar was already appointed,” he said.
Mr Gavhumende added that he then wrote to the chairperson of the SPB seeking exemption from going to tender on aircraft spares and insurance among other things.
“I later went to the State Procurement Board where I was told that our house was not in order and our procurement was fragmented. The airline was found liable for not following procuring regulations and we were fined US$800,” he said.
During cross-examination, Air Zimbabwe former secretary Grace Pfumbidzayi’s lawyer Mr Andrew Muvirimi, inquired from Mr Gavhumende why he said he was not aware how Navistar Insurance Company was appointed yet that issue was addressed in his letter to the SPB chairperson.
In his response, Mr Gavhumende said he knew that one day the insurance portfolio would come under his ambit.
Mr Muvirimi asked again why the letter was not sent over his signature and he replied that he had no authority to send a letter over his signature although he did the drafting.
Pfumbidzayi and former group CEO Peter Chikumba (59) are accused of defrauding the airline of €5 175 593 and US$502 748 in an alleged insurance scam.
The pair is jointly charged with criminal abuse of duty as public officers and fraud charges.
They pleaded not guilty and trial will continue on September 18 after Chikumba’s lawyer, Mr Admire Rubaya, gave notice to apply for the temporary release of his client’s passport.
“The accused intends to travel to Israel for an international conference, which he is co-ordinating as group CEO of Celebration International,” he said.
Meanwhile, the trial of three Navistar Insurance Brokers Limited directors – Givemore Nderere (45) and Vukile Hlupo, and Orten Mawire — will start on September 17.
The three were implicated in the Air Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited multimillion- dollar alleged aircraft insurance scandal.
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