HARARE – Former Energy Minister Samuel Undenge has been acquitted on corruption charges relating to the $200 million Gwanda solar power plant tender awarded to Intratrek Zimbabwe, a company co-owned by controversial businessman, Wicknell Chivayo.

Undenge was accused of directing the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to pay Intratrek $5,6 million for pre-commencement works, without a bank guarantee in place.

On Monday, Harare magistrate Barbra Chimboza said the allegations against Undenge were unproven after the defence led by Alec Muchadehama applied for discharge at the end of the prosecution case.

Prosecutors presented several witnesses, including Noah Gwariro, the ZPC’s suspended managing director who claimed that Undenge had directed him, over the phone, to release payment to Intratrek.

Gwariro has been suspended by the ZPC and will face similar charges as Undenge.

Chimboza said the trial evidence provided by state witnesses was “not credible”. Gwariro, as the ZPC’s accounting officer who bears overall responsibility for any irregular payments, had everything to gain by falsifying evidence against Undenge, the magistrate said.

Most of the witnesses appeared to be on a “smear campaign” against Undenge without providing credible evidence, she ruled.

“From the testimonies by state witnesses and the accused, it’s clear the ZPC board was not organised and if anything, the witnesses exposed themselves,” Chimboza added as she released the former minister before he was put to his own defence.

Zivanai Macharaga from the President’s Special Anti-Corruption Unit prosecuted.

This was the second criminal prosecution Undenge has faced since he was forced out of his job with the ouster of former President Robert Mugabe in November last year.

In July, he was convicted of criminal abuse of office and jailed for four years in prison, with one-and-a-half years conditional suspended.

Undenge, who was in that case accused of directing ZPC to engage a PR company – Fruitful Communications – without going to tender, was released on bail after he appealed against both conviction and sentence at the High Court.

Fruitful Communications’ directors Psychology Masiwiza and Oscar Pambuka were jailed for 30 months each last week after they were convicted of submitting invoices to ZPC worth $12,650 for work they did not perform.