FORMER Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara)
finance director, Mr Simon Taranhike, who was on bail pending appeal on his
conviction and sentence after being jailed for effective 15 months on criminal
abuse of office charges, was yesterday acquitted by the High Court.
High Court judge Justice Felistus Chatukuta sitting with
Justice Pisirayi Kwenda set aside Mr Taranhike’s conviction and sentence passed
by Harare magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya.
Mr Mujaya had found Mr Taranhike guilty of abusing the
Zinara fuel facility and authorising the issuance of 1 800 litres of petrol
coupons without following due procedures.
Mr Mujaya initially sentenced him to 30 months in prison
before suspending six months on condition of good behaviour.
Another nine months were suspended on condition that Mr
Taranhike pays back the 1 800 litres of fuel to Zinara before December 31 last
year.
His actions are said to have prejudiced his employer of
fuel then worth $6 354. Mr Taranhike through his lawyer Advocate Thembinkosi
Magwaliba, who was acting on Mrs Rekai Maphosa’s instructions, had appealed
against conviction and sentence arguing that he was improperly convicted.
In the appeal Mr Taranhike argued that the State had failed
to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt as required by the law.
He said the essential elements of criminal abuse of duty
were not satisfied by the State.
The High Court accepted that the instructions to issue the
fuel coupons had been given the board chairman, Engineer Michael Madanha.
Justices Chatukuta and Kwenda agreed that the board
chairman Eng Madanha had instigated the corruption and Mr Taranhike could not
at the same time impute criminal motive and conduct.
The High Court also noted that Mr Taranhike had simply
communicated the instructions from the board chairman to a clerk in the
transport department resulting in the issuance of the fuel coupons.
Allegations were that Mr Taranhike allegedly pressured
Zinara’s transport clerk Dennis Jaricha to procedurally release the fuel
coupons, ignoring protocol. Herald
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