Former Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire was yesterday
convicted and sentenced to four days imprisonment for refusing to come to court
after he was subpoenaed to testify in a case involving bribery at the Zimbabwe
Power Company (ZPC).
Mavhaire, who appeared before magistrate Hosea Mujaya, was
given an option to pay $20 fine for his actions.
The former minister, who was represented by his son, denied
the allegations that he refused to sign a subpoena. He said the police officer
did not show him the subpoena forms and did not want to be involved in a case
he knew nothing about.
Mavhaire said he had received a call from Stanley Kazhanje,
who is accused of getting a $10 000 bribe from Intratrek Zimbabwe director
Wicknell Chivayo. He said Kazhanje wanted him to be his defence witness, but he
had refused to be dragged into issues he knew nothing about.
The State, represented by prosecutor Brian Vito, had
consented to the cancellation of the warrant, saying there was a
miscommunication with his office on having Mavhaire as the State witness.
But Mujaya then called the police officer who went to
Masvingo to subpoena him. The officer told the court that Mavhaire refused to
sign the subpoena, saying he did not want to testify.
However, Mujaya dismissed Mavhaire’s assertion that he did
not receive any subpoena, saying a police officer could not travel from Harare
to Masvingo without a document to serve.
Mavhaire was asked to come to court on April 15 to testify.
Newsday
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