HARARE – Former tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira will now stand trial starting next month in respect of four out the nine charges she is facing.
Prosecutor Michael Reza told a Harare court on Tuesday that investigations had only been finalised in four cases.
“The state is ready to proceed to trial on October 31,” said Reza.
However, Mupfumira’s lawyers opposed a trial on this date, saying the prosecution had ambushed them.
After haggling, the state and defence lawyers finally agreed that the trial will start on November 4 and should last two days.
Reza said Mupfumira will stand trial for allegedly abusing her powers through buying personal vehicles using funds from NSSA; abusing public funds by buying air tickets for relatives and directors to her daughter’s wedding in South Africa and also money laundering.
She was recently arrested on the charge of money laundering and is jointly charged with the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry’s former secretary, Ngoni Masoka, and NSSA director of contributions, Barnabas Matongera.
The Zanu PF Mashonaland West Senator faces criminal abuse of office charges after she allegedly forced NSSA into risky investments leading to a prejudice of over US$94 million during the time she was Public Service Minister between 2014 and 2017.
Mupfumira denies the allegations saying she never strayed from her duties as a minister.
She argues that as minister she never bought any cars but Masoka, as the accounting officer, was the one who asked NSSA to buy ministerial vehicles because the government was broke. The ministry later reimbursed NSSA, her lawyers say.
