via Fraud: Mangoma innocent, ZESA boss – New Zimbabwe 12/10/2015
FORMER energy minister Elton Mangoma has received key backing in his trial on charges of fraud at ZESA with the chief executive of the power utility saying the opposition politician did nothing wrong.
Mangoma’s attorney, Beatrice Mtetwa, immediately applied for discharge after Monday’s proceedings.
Mangoma is accused of flouting tender procedures by allegedly forcing ZESA subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), to award a tender to OK Zimbabwe.
The opposition politician denies the charges.
On Monday he was backed by ZESA chief executive Josh Chifamba who described him as a straight-forward person who was also opposed to corruption.
Chifamba, instead, placed the blame on his subordinate Julian Chinembiri, the ZETDC managing director.
“The blame falls entirely on the accounting officer (Julian Chinembiri),” said Chifamba.
“I don’t have a legal mind to say the accused did not do anything illegal but … Chinembiri should just have done the correct thing.
“His office takes full responsibility on such issues and, if I were him (Chinembiri), I would still have written to State Procurement Board (SPB) contesting the directive even if it was coming from the minister.”
The ZESA CEO added: “I expected Chinembiri to follow procedure and he should have done things the proper way.
“The fault squarely falls on him. It was not the first time that a tender was cancelled but he should have sought the SPB’s authority before appointing OK Zimbabwe.”
Under cross examination from Mtetwa, the ZESA boss said Mangoma was a “straight forward” minister who did not entertain fraudulent dealings.
The charges arise from Mangoma’s time as energy minister in the last coalition government between President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and its MDC rivals.
At the close of Monday’s hearing, Mangoma’s lawyer indicated she wished to make an application for discharge.
Magistrate Hosea Mujaya will deliver his ruling on the application on October 21.
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