Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
Court Reporter
FORMER Deputy Minister of Agriculture Douglas Karoro was on Friday acquitted of fraud, with the court ruling that evidence presented showed he was a victim of name-dropping by criminals.
Karoro was accused of siphoning 700 bags of fertiliser at the Grain Marketing Board under the guise that it was for the needy in Mbire Constituency.
He was jointly charged with GMB assistant depot manager Lovejoy Ngowe, Dean Dzimunya and Mugove Chidamba, who were also found not guilty of the offence by regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
Represented by Admire Rubaya and Malvern Mapako Karoro blamed his political rivals for creating allegations against him to force him out of the race to represent Mbire in the 2023 harmonised elections.
He argued that he was never at Mushumbi to collect the alleged fertilisers and that the State’s key witness, Honest Nyathi, was not a “truthful person” and had conceded having completed paperwork in his absence purporting he was present in Mushumbi.
“The evidence of the State does not speak to misrepresentation. It does not prove fraud or theft. Honest Nyathi conceded he endorsed accused one’s name (Karoro) on goods dispatch vouchers without seeing him. He is a suspect witness with interests to serve,” the court said.
The court also indicated that the State had brought a “half-baked” case without sufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
The court said evidence of the witnesses was unreliable as some of them were his political rivals.
“The investigating officer contradicted the State’s case. A GMB official denied that there was any misrepresentation made to them.
“Accused 1’s name was used to get the fertilisers as he was not there. His name is being muddled in the mud, probably because of the position he held at the time.“No single witness links him to Mushumbi GMB.
“Some of the witnesses held political competition and that was never challenged,” the court ruled.
