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OpenMupfumira Now Free After Last Corruption Case Collapses
Former Public Service Minister Prisca Mupfumira is now a free woman, as all criminal cases against her have come to an end.
On Thursday, Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa formally removed Mupfumira from remand in connection with allegations of misappropriating public funds to finance the travel of government employees to her daughter’s wedding in South Africa.
This decision comes after the state failed to prosecute her for nearly five years, citing various reasons for the delays.
Mupfumira, a member of the ZANU PF Central Committee, had been jointly charged with her former secretary, Ngoni Masoka.
As reported by ZimLive, the magistrate said the two “have been on remand since 2019 and that there has been no progress since last year when the matter was ordered to commence”. She added:
The two cannot be prejudiced because the magistrate was elevated to be a judge and that it is in the interest of justice to remove them from remand.
The State alleged that Mupfumira and her former secretary, Masoka, misappropriated a US$90,000 NSSA loan by financing the travel of public service ministry employees to Mupfumira’s daughter’s wedding in South Africa.
The prosecution stalled when the case was interrupted due to the elevation of then-chief magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi to the High Court.
Both Mupfumira and Masoka faced charges of abuse of duty as public officers, specifically for failing to disclose a loan application from NSSA, which was claimed to be for purchasing a ministerial vehicle, to the Office of the President and Cabinet as required.
Additionally, Mupfumira was accused of directing her ministry’s finance director to purchase air tickets for her aides attending the wedding, as well as covering accommodation and transport expenses.
This misappropriation allegedly resulted in a loss of US$10,215 and ZAR113,539 to the ministry.
She was represented by her lawyer, Admire Rubaya, who applied for refusal of further remand.
Rubaya contended that they had given the State “a long rope,” adding that the application came after several petitions and several notices against the State for a motion for refusal of further remand to be instituted.
He pointed out the inordinate delays, stating that Mupfumira had been on remand for 1,796 days without trial since her arrest.
Rubaya argued that this extended period violated his client’s right to a timely hearing and imposed restrictions on her movement due to bail conditions.
He also claimed that these delays had hindered Mupfumira’s ability to fulfill her parliamentary duties and subjected her to ongoing societal criticism.
The State attributed the delays to the elevation of the trial magistrate to a judgeship, as well as disruptions caused by COVID-19, which affected court proceedings from 2020 to 2021 due to lockdowns.
The state also said that one witness in the case had passed away during this time, further complicating their case.
More: Pindula News
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