News / National
Mugabe's court challenge dismissed
28 Jun 2019 at 01:17hrs | Views
Former Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) board chairperson Albert Mugabe on Wednesday had his application challenging the acceptability of a letter he allegedly wrote to CBZ Bank guaranteeing a mortgage loan for the parastatal's chief executive dismissed.
Mugabe is facing charges of criminal abuse of office after he allegedly wrote to CBZ Bank and lied that the Zinara board had agreed to set off a $300 000 mortgage for its CEO Nancy Chamisa-Masiyiwa.
His lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya had rejected the letter which Zinara's corporate secretary Mathlene Mujokoro indicated was brought to her attention by then board chair Wilfred Ramwi.
In dismissing the application, Harare magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube said the onus lies on the State to prove that the letter was indeed written by Mugabe. "Objection is overruled and the court hereby admits the letter as evidence," he said.
As prosecutor Mr Beaven Murevanhema continued to lead evidence from Mujokoro, Mugabe objected to the State's intention to admit another letter dated April 11, 2017.
In the letter, Mugabe allegedly committed that Zinara will undertake Chamisa-Masiyiwa's loan in the event that she defaults payment.
In her testimony, Mujokoro stated that the letter was authored by Mugabe, adding that she was familiar with Mugabe's signature as she had seen it in previous minutes.
Mugabe is facing charges of criminal abuse of office after he allegedly wrote to CBZ Bank and lied that the Zinara board had agreed to set off a $300 000 mortgage for its CEO Nancy Chamisa-Masiyiwa.
His lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya had rejected the letter which Zinara's corporate secretary Mathlene Mujokoro indicated was brought to her attention by then board chair Wilfred Ramwi.
In dismissing the application, Harare magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube said the onus lies on the State to prove that the letter was indeed written by Mugabe. "Objection is overruled and the court hereby admits the letter as evidence," he said.
As prosecutor Mr Beaven Murevanhema continued to lead evidence from Mujokoro, Mugabe objected to the State's intention to admit another letter dated April 11, 2017.
In the letter, Mugabe allegedly committed that Zinara will undertake Chamisa-Masiyiwa's loan in the event that she defaults payment.
In her testimony, Mujokoro stated that the letter was authored by Mugabe, adding that she was familiar with Mugabe's signature as she had seen it in previous minutes.
Source - the herald
