adminZvikomborero Parafini
THE fraud trial of former Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro opened in Harare yesterday.
Karoro and his alleged accomplices — Lovejoy Ngowe, Mugove Chidamba, Jeremy Phiri and Dean Dzimunya — pleaded not guilty before Harare regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa.
The five are accused of defrauding the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) of 700 bags of fertiliser, US$18 000 worth of maize seed and 5 000 vegetable seed kits from the Presidential input scheme between March and April.
The State alleges that the inputs were from Mushumbi Pools Depot in Mbire, Mashonaland Central, and were intended for farmers.
Karoro denied ever conniving in his personal capacity with his alleged accomplices to deceive GMB Mushumbi Pools.
He denied ever requesting GMB Mashumbi to issue goods dispatch vouchers for 700x50kg bags of Compound D fertiliser in his name as alleged by the State.
He also denied ever selling the bags of fertiliser to State witness, Widdorn Chiodza, for US$10 700.
He told the court that the allegations were malicious, frivolous and vexatious.
He said they were being peddled by GMB in connivance with influential people within the law enforcement agencies or other Government linked institutions.
He claimed the allegations maliciously caused his arrest, without any shred of evidence, because his political detractors were eyeing his parliamentary seat.
Their connections, he claimed, have unlawfully whipped them into their path for purposes of abusing the criminal justice system.
Phiri, in his defence, denied ever requesting the dispatch of the fertilisers purporting that they were going to be distributed to the needy.
He denied ever authoring the documents authorising the release of the fertilisers as alleged.
George Manokore appeared for the State.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter