HARARE – A senior prosecutor charged with criminal abuse of office for failing to oppose an application for discharge by former Information Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira at the High Court has given notice of his intention to challenge further remand.
Prosecutors say Mandiwanzira beat corruption charges after Edmore Nyazamba failed to file state papers opposing his application for a review of trial proceedings.
Nyazamba’s notice comes after prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa disclosed that investigations were still underway.
Nyazamba is demanding that his trial should commence since the police should investigate to arrest, not the other way round.
“We seek a further postponement in this matter. The docket has been sent to the Prosecutor General’s office for perusal and opinion,” Mutizirwa told Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko on Tuesday.
Nyazamba’s lawyer, Bekithemba Mlauzi, then told court: “We intend to apply for refusal of further remand if the trial fails to start on the next date.”
Mateko endorsed Nyazamba’s notice before remanding him to August 1.
Allegations against Nyazamba are that on March 8, he informed the court of the State’s intention to oppose the application for review file by Mandiwanzira and asked for time to file his papers.
Mandiwanzira had approached the High Court seeking review after trial magistrate Elijah Makomo dismissed his application for exception in a matter where he was accused of awarding a $218 million contract to Megawatt, a South African-based consultancy company, on behalf of NetOne and of appointing his personal assistant to the POTRAZ board.
The State alleges that subsequent to his request, the matter was deferred to March 19.
However, Nyazamba allegedly failed to lodge opposing papers and the matter was set down on the unopposed roll on March 27.
The matter was again deferred to April 3, where High Court Judge Nicholas Mathonsi acquitted Mandiwanzira on the charge of awarding a $218 million contract to Megawatt but upheld the POTRAZ charge.
