FORMER Energy Minister Samuel Undenge has been jailed for four years after he was convicted of abuse of public office.

Undenge, 62, who lost his job after a military coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe last November, was accused of handpicking a public relations company for the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) without going to tender.

ZPC went on to pay Fruitful Communications, owned by Psychology Mazibisa and Oscar Pambuka, $12,000.

Undenge will serve two and half years behind bars after 18 months was conditionally suspended.

He had maintained his innocence throughout the trial, arguing he was being persecuted for refusing to support Zimbabwe’s current rulers, whom he said had committed worse corruption.

Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya said Undenge had exerted undue influence on ZPC to take on Fruitful Communications as consultants by writing a letter authorising their engagement.

After passing a guilty verdict on Friday, he invited mitigation from Undenge’s lawyer Alec Muchadehama. The lawyer suggested a penalty of a fine, saying Undenge had already suffered from bad publicity.

“He was a person occupying a high office and now he has fallen to be a convicted criminal. In light of this, there is no reason for the accused to be punished more than he has already been punished,” the lawyer said.

“He lost his job and there has been a lot of stressful publicity which constitutes enough punishment.”

Jonathan Murombedzi, prosecuting, said a fine and no jail time would trivialise the offence.

“The accused’s moral blameworthiness in the given circumstances is very high. Given his qualifications as a minister, he was supposed to be a good steward also as government servant. He was in a portfolio dealing with corruption and was even involved in the drafting of the current Anti-Corruption Act. Him stooping so low and doing business with Fruitful Communications company was unlawful and he knew it,” the prosecutor charged.

“He knew very well they wanted to fleece a government entity and now the offence has been unearthed he tries to hide behind a finger and blame his accomplices.”

The prosecutor had demanded a custodial sentence of no more than 15 years, which he said would send a strong message to would-be offenders.

Magistrate Mujaya sent Undenge away for an effective two-and-half years.

Muchadehama gave notice that the former minister would challenge both his conviction and sentence at the High Court.