Suspended Muchechetere woes continue to mount

via Suspended Muchechetere woes continue to mount – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 3, 2014

SUSPENDED Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere has been taken to court by his lawyers Dube, Manikai and Hwacha Legal Practitioners over unpaid legal fees amounting to $24 000.

The lawyers accused Muchechetere of failing to pay for services rendered to him between March and September this year when he was fighting his suspension by the State broadcaster on corruption charges.

Part of the summons read: “The plaintiff’s (Dube, Manikai and Hwacha) claim is against the defendant (Muchechetere) payment of the sum of $24 053,44.

“In respect of fees charged for professional services rendered at Harare by plaintiff at defendants’ specific instance and request, in or around March to September 2014 together with interest thereon calculated at the rate of interest charged by commercial banks from date of summons to date of payment.”

Muchechetere was suspended from ZBC for allegedly awarding himself and his executive team hefty perks of up to $44 000 each while other employees went unpaid for over six months.

He still has a court case pending where he is facing one count of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer and another of contravening Section 35 of the Procurement Act.

It is alleged that Muchechetere entered a procurement deal to purchase an outside broadcasting (OB) van with a Chinese firm called China National Instruments Imports and Exports Corporation without going to tender on January 18 2013. It is also alleged that Muchechetere, “doctored” the price of the OB van to the tune of $1 050 000.