Mupfumira had a warrant of arrest issued against her last
week after failing to attend trial when she had travelled to South Africa on
parliamentary business.
She and her co-accused Ngoni Masoka, who is former
secretary in the ministry, were supposed to appear for continuation of their
trial on two counts of criminal abuse of office.
Mupfumira, a senator, was said to be in South Africa on
official parliamentary business following the release of her diplomatic
passport by the courts.
Her lawyer Admire Rubaya argued: “The court a quo (lower court) erred at law
by, in the first place, assuming jurisdiction and finding the appellant had
absented herself from trial without leave as contemplated by the provisions of
section 194(2) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (Chapter 9:01 in
circumstances where the presiding judicial officer on the day, her worship
Estere Chivasa, had no jurisdiction to conduct accused’s trial since the case
was a partly heard one for the trial judicial officer, his worship Mr Munamato
Mutevedzi.”
Rubaya said the court erred also by assuming Mupfumira had
absented herself without leave, yet she had applied for temporary release of
her passport so she could attend Parliament business.
The State alleges that Mupfumira and Masoka fraudulently
secured US$90 000 from the National Social Security Authority and purchased
personal vehicles without Treasury approval on two counts.
She is also accused of using State funds to finance her
daughter’s wedding in South Africa. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment