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Fungai Jachi Court Correspondent
Harare magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo yesterday ordered the State to give Transport and Infrastructural Development Secretary Munesushe Munodawafa a trial date or risk having him removed from remand.
Mr Makomo said failure by the State to provide a trial date by December 3 this year would leave the court with no option, but to free Munodawafa.
“The State will be given a strict timeline to comply. By the 3rd of December the State should be done with its extra-territorial investigations in South Africa and Botswana.
“If the accused is not furnished with a trial date on the next remand date he will be removed from remand,” he said.
Munodawafa’s lawyer, Mr Tafadzwa Hungwe, had applied for removal of his client from remand citing failure by the State to give a trial date.
Munodawafa allegedly ordered Air Zimbabwe to pay Navistar Insurance Brokers an unexplained $305 000 in a suspected case of abuse of office.
He is facing two counts of criminal abuse of office.
It is alleged that on November 3 2009, an MA60 aircraft was involved in an accident at the Harare International Airport when it hit wild pigs that had strayed onto the runway.
The aircraft was a write-off and Air Zimbabwe was paid $6,1 million by its London re-insurer, Chartis Insurance Company.
On April 23 2010, Chartis Insurance made a counter-claim of the same amount against CAAZ for failing to ensure the runway was safe at all times.
The claim included $2 419 724 for loss of business by Airzim.
CAAZ, which is Government-owned, approached Munodawafa’s office for assistance.
He appointed Navistar Insurance Brokers to go to London and negotiate an out-of-court settlement without going to tender, it is alleged.
At the time of Navistar’s appointment, Munodawafa was fully aware that CAAZ’s insurance broker was Marsh Insurance.
Upon the return of Navistar officials from London, Munodawafa wrote to the then Airzim accounting officer, Mr Innocent Mavhunga, directing him to pay Navistar a “success fee” of $305 000.
It is alleged that there was no logic in Munodawafa appointing Navistar for the task when CAAZ’s broker was Marsh Insurance.
Further, the service rendered by Navistar should have been paid for by CAAZ, not Air Zimbabwe.
Following the MA60 accident, Munodawafa on April 18 2013 personally negotiated the lease of an Embraer plane from Solenta Aviation of South Africa through his friend, Ben Dahwa.
He allegedly directed Mavhunga to rent the plane from Solenta Aviation without going to tender.
The plane was leased for six months with the condition of payment of an “irregular finder’s fee” of $10 200 to Dahwa every month.
A forensic audit report by BCA Forensic unearthed the alleged scam.
Online Reporter