HARARE – Prosecutors charged former Health Minister David Parirenyatwa with criminal abuse of office on Thursday.
Magistrate Elisha Singano granted the former minister $500 bail and remanded him to October 26. He was ordered not to interfere with witnesses, surrender his passport and report twice weekly to the police.
The 68-year-old, of Carrick Craigh in Borrowdale, Harare, is accused of unlawfully directing the board of the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (NatPharm) to terminate the contract of its managing director, Flora Nancy Sikefu, on June 4 this year.
Sikefu, the minister said in a letter that is part of a bundle of prosecution evidence, would be taking up a new role in the ministry.
Parirenyatwa further directed NatPharm to engage Newman Madzikwa as the acting managing director.
Parirenyatwa had showed “disfavour” to Sikefu, allege prosecutors, while showing “favour” to Madzikwa.
“The accused’s actions created a double-dipping of NatPharm funds as NatPharm is paying towards the managing director’s position thereby prejudicing NatPharm of $15,000 and $15,000 potentially,” said Michael Reza, prosecuting.
Reza said Parirenyatwa’s actions were “prejudicial to the good administration of NetPharm and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.”
Parirenyatwa had been reported to the police on September 11, although prosecutors did not reveal who made the report.
