HARARE – PROSECUTORS have turned a top Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) executive into a state witness against his boss, Moses Julius Juma, who is facing criminal abuse of office charges.

Davison Norupiri, the chairperson of Zinara’s finance committee, and who had been originally charged with the road agency’s technical director Juma, 53, will now assist prosecutors build a case against his boss.

This emerged at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Monday where Juma’s trial for allegedly awarding a $500,000 contract to a tax consultancy firm without going to tender back in 2014 was postponed to July 27 due to his ill-health.

Juma and Norupiri made headlines back in 2016 when the former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko ordered their release from police custody after they were arrested on the same charges.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) chief law officer Chris Mutangadura, prosecuting, consented to the postponement but notified Juma that nothing would stop the trial on next date.

Magistrate Yeukai Chigodora heard that Juma was the acting Chief Executive Officer of Zinara in 2014 when the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) – which was owed $15,418.133 by the roads agency – garnished their account for $5,714.587 leaving a balance of $9,703.546.

A report was made to the Zinara board by the management for guidance to reduce tax obligations and the company tasked the finance committee chaired by Norupiri to engage a tax consultancy firm.

Three tax consultancy firms namely Misfort Tax Consultancy, Excel Tax Consultancy and Central Source Management Consultancy trading as Tax management Services were chosen to make presentations for tax healthy checks services.

On September 23 the same year, the three companies made their presentations and the finance committee recommended Tax Management Services to the procurement committee.

Three days later, the committee held a meeting with the full board and presented their decision.

Juma proceeded to engage Tax Management Services for the tax health checks at a cost of $17,250 to Zinara.

It is further alleged that Juma, without board approval, went on to engage Tax Management Services for other tax advisory services resulting in Zinara paying out $577,250 to the company.

An audit by the Auditor General’s office discovered that there was no contract between ZINARA and Tax Management Services.

Juma, it is alleged, went on to sign the contract in retrospect and caused finance manager Shadreck Matengabadza to sign as a witness.

The director for administration, Precious Murove, refused to sign the contract in retrospect.