FORMER Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire yesterday
distanced himself from the case in which the former Zimbabwe Power Company
(ZPC) board chairperson Stanley Kazhanje is being accused of concealing his
business interests in Intratrek Zimbabwe Company from his bosses when he was
appointed to the board.
Intratrek is currently entangled in the botched Gwanda
solar power plant with the State pressing charges of fraud after the company
failed to set up the project.
Mavhaire, who was last week convicted by magistrate Hosea
Mujaya for refusing to testify, told the court that when he recommended
Kazhanje’s appointment to the board, he had only seen his curriculum vitae.
Mavhaire told the court that the President’s Office could
have unearthed during vetting process that Kazhanje had interests in Intratrek
before his appointment.
“Kazhanje had never disclosed to me that he had interests
in Intratrek Zimbabwe. If he had declared, we could have not appointed him to
the board since he had proved that he was conflicted,” Mavhaire told the court.
But Kazhanje’s lawyer Advocate Silvester Hashiti told
Mavhaire that Kazhanje told him that he had interests in one of the companies,
but the ex-minister proceeded to appoint him. Mavhaire told the court that he
never met Kazhanje alone, but only as a board with other people who included
chief executive officers, permanent secretary and the deputy
minister.
The former minister said the only place Kazhanje could have
seen him was in the newspapers or on television.
Kazhanje is also set to be jointly charged with Intratrek
Zimbabwe for bribery after allegedly receiving $10 000 from Wicknell Chivayo
for him not to terminate the 100 megawatt Gwanda solar panel station contract.
Newsday
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