adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO businessman and former Victoria High School Development Association (SDA) treasurer is a happy man as he has been acquitted of fraud involving $7 500. Innocent Tagarira (age not given) of Kodel Hardware pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud when he appeared before Masvingo magistrate Ms Lyn-Mary Manyika on Thursday.
He was acquitted because of lack of strong evidence from witnesses.
For the State, Mr Tafirei Tandirai said between July last year and February this year, Tagarira drafted a quotation of $7 500 for repairing and maintaining roofing gutters at the school.
He is alleged to have withdrawn $4 500 and $300 from the schools’ account on two different occasions meant to pay Eecovelt Plumbers for labour and material.
The court was told that an audit by the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture was done and it emerged that the company in question had not done such work leading to Tagarira’s arrest.
Ecovelt Plumbers director, Mr Enock Mashavira who testified in court said Tagarira had begged to allow him to supply material from his choice of a market in Harare.
The court heard that after Tagarira had bought the material he delivered it to Ecovelt Plumbers for it to appear as if the company was the main supplier.
The company then delivered the material to the school so that it would appear as if they were responsible for the supply.
Mr Mashavira testified that he was given a quotation of $1 403, 23 not $7 500 as alleged.
However, when the quotation was produced as exhibit, it had no logo or date, neither was it stamped.
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