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Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter
FORMER Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo yesterday testified against his former personal assistant now being tried of illegally facilitating the granting of residency to business tycoon Mr Ali Mohamed and his family.
Gideon Mapokotera, who is charged with criminal abuse of office, is alleged to have written three letters to the Immigration Department to facilitate the stay of Mohamed and his family in the country.
He is denying the charges and argues that he was allowed to write such letters and that Dr Moyo knew that he was writing to the Immigration Department.
Dr Moyo denied authorising the letters and said Mapokotera had not followed the normal protocols of informing him of what was going on.
He denied employing Mapokotera, saying he was a Government employee who was paid through the Salary Services Bureau.
Dr Moyo said he never authorised the letters sent by Mapokotera.
“I only saw the letters during the time of investigation of the matter,” he said.
“There is a protocol that is followed and that is what he was supposed to do.”
Dr Moyo told the court that he knew Mohamed as an investor who was in talks with the Government, through its embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, for him to invest in the country.
Mapokotera, through his lawyer Mr Norman Mugiya, denied that he was a civil servant and was working as a personal assistant to the then Minister of Health and Child Care, who was his employer.
“He was never employed by the Government and there was no contract between himself and the Government,” said Mr Mugiya.
Mapokotera told the court that he was not barred from generating the letters in question as the personal assistant to the minister.
“The accused’s duties allowed him to write letters on behalf of the then Minister as he did,” he said.
“The accused was never given written duties when he assumed office, but was in fact given his duties orally by the then Minister and one of the duties was that he could write letters on all matters of interest to the Ministry and to the Minister.
“At any event, the then Minister was aware of the letter and that the letter was written at his instance.”
Mapokotera told the court that Dr Moyo was aware of Ali Mohamed’s visit to Zimbabwe.
The matter is expected to continue on December 8.
Regional magistrate Mr Noel Mupeiwa presided, while Mr Brian Vito prosecuted.
Online Reporter