Pastor Chimusoro acquitted

Entertainment Reporter
Gospel musician Pastor Herman Chimusoro, who was accused of swindling the police of $192 000, has been acquitted.
Chimusoro was arrested in December last year on allegations of converting the money he had been given by the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s band section to purchase musical instruments to his own use but magistrate Sandra Mupindu acquitted the musician of the charge last Friday.
In her ruling Mupindu noted that there was no evidence to prove the essential elements of the offence.

The ruling noted that it was not in dispute that Chimusoro had paid for the goods in Italy and already delivered some of the equipment to the police and that the remainder of the equipment is on its way consequent to it being bulky and not easy to assemble.

It was also noted that the State failed to establish that there was a trust agreement between Chimusoro and the police and prove that the former had converted the money to his own use.

“The onus is on the State to prove the guilt of the accused and this court is satisfied that the State failed to produce evidence prima facie to prove the elements of the offence of theft of trust property and there is no evidence upon which a reasonable court can convict hence the accused is entitled to a discharge,” Mupindu noted.

“This court should not speculate on the possibility that the gap in the state case might be plugged during the course of the defence case. “Consequently this accused cannot be put on his defence. He is accordingly found not guilty and is acquitted of the charge of theft of trust property preferred against him here.”

Chimusoro is a pastor with Pinnacle Baptist Assemblies Church, leader of Line Crosser band and owner of Crossline Studios.
He is the organiser of Crossline Worship Music Festival that has hosted United States worship music stars Michael W Smith and Nicole Mullen in Harare.