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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
The trial of former Energy and Power Development Minister Samuel Undenge, accused of prejudicing Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of $12 650, has been set for April 24. Undenge yesterday appeared before magistrate Ms Tilda Mazhande, who remanded him to his trial date after prosecutor Ms Linda Gadzikwa notified the court that the docket was now complete.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation chief executive Happison Muchechetere, accused of contravening the Procurement Act, will now stand trial for his 2013 case.
Muchechetere’s docket is back at the magistrates’ court and he would be summoned to appear before a magistrate on a date to be set.
The court in 2016 dismissed his second attempt to seek relief at the Constitutional Court. It is alleged that on January 18, 2013 Muchechetere – without going to tender – entered into a procurement deal with a Chinese company to purchase an outside broadcasting (OB) van for $1 050 000. On April 23, 2013, he allegedly misrepresented to ZBC’s executive committee that $495 000 donated by BancABC was enough to purchase an audio van, a cargo van and a crew bus.
The committee approved the purchase of the items. The State alleged that Muchechetere did not disclose to the committee that he had already entered into a deal for only one item, the OB van.
The court heard that Muchechetere flew to China and signed an agreement for inspection of the van, which was never carried out by other members of the executive committee. The OB van was delivered in August 2013 after BancABC released $100 000 to the Chinese company.
The alleged crime was discovered after Muchechetere’s suspension in November of the same year.
It was established that the OB van had a market value of $350 000, contrary to the $1 050 000 he had stated.
Online Reporter