Wadyajena gets green light to recover fleet

The Supreme Court has authorized businessman Mayor Wadyajena to retrieve a fleet of haulage trucks and a Lamborghini that were seized from his company by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). This decision came due to a legal technicality involving the National Prosecution Authority's (NPA) failure to comply with Rule 55 (5) of the Supreme Court Rules (2018), which mandates the payment of Wadyajena's security costs before pursuing an appeal.

The NPA was appealing a High Court ruling in Wadyajena's favor. However, since the NPA did not provide proof of payment to the court registrar, the appeal was deemed abandoned and subsequently dismissed as per Sub-rule (6) of Rule 55. The Supreme Court informed the NPA of its decision to reject the appeal.

Wadyajena can now enforce the High Court judgment to reclaim his fleet of 23-tonne haulage trucks and a Lamborghini SUV, which were confiscated in August 2022 amid accusations of defrauding the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe of US$5.8 million. These charges were dropped last year before plea. The High Court also noted that the trucks were unlawfully held since September 2022, as the authorities did not seek an extension beyond the initial 30-day seizure period.

Wadyajena, the former Gokwe-Nembudziya Member of Parliament, had been charged along with Cottco executives Pious Manamike, Maxmore Njanji, Fortunate Molai, and Chiedza Danha.