FORMER Midlands Minister of State Jaison Kokerai Machaya has succeeded in having his trial for alleged abuse of office moved to Gokwe from Harare.

Machaya, 65, argued before Harare magistrate Estere Chivasa that he was arrested in Gokwe, and that the witnesses were from Gokwe, and therefore the Harare court had no jurisdiction.

The former minister is accused of annexing 1,000 stands worth US$900,000 owned by the State for the Local Government Ministry contrary to government policy.

Machaya will now appear before a Gokwe magistrate on August 6 this year to learn his trial date.

He is being charged together with the Midlands Provincial Planning officer Chisainyerwa Chibururu, 47.

The two defendants argued that they never consented to being tried in Harare.

Said lawyer Alec Chadehama, for the pair: “The State indicated to the accused that they want to jointly charge them with other accused persons from the Harare planning department, surveyor general’s office and Ministry of Lands. This is an improper jurisdiction for the case.

“The accused persons were arrested in Gokwe, all the witnesses are from Gokwe and this court has no jurisdiction to preside over this case and I pray that the trial be moved back to Gokwe as there is a regional court which can handle the matter.”

Muchadehama was being assisted by Ambrose Dururu and Ahiel Mugiya.

The State represented by Clemence Chimbari opposed the defence application saying the accused persons had initially consented to the case being heard in Harare.

The magistrate ruled in favour of the accused persons saying her court has no jurisdiction to handle the matter.

It is alleged that sometime between 2011 and 2017, Machaya who at that time was the Governor and Resident Minister for Midlands Province used his official powers and acquired 1,000 residential stands out of 3,000 that were available in Mapfungautsi which is under Gokwe Town Council administration, contrary to government policy which allows the Ministry of Local Government to acquire just 10 percent of the total stands as commonage.

The State alleges as a result, Gokwe Town Council lost revenue in respect of 700 stands.

It is alleged Machaya further imposed a land developer known as Striations World Marketing Property Developers to service and sell the stands without following proper tender procedure.