HARARE – The corruption trial of former health minister Obadiah Moyo will commence on September 6, the High Court resolved on Wednesday.
The date was granted following a request by prosecutor Garudzo Ziyadhuma.
Moyo was arrested in June last year on accusations of abuse of office after awarding a US$60 million tender to Drax International to procure Covid-19 test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the government without following laid down procedure.
The deal was not approved by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, which vets government contractors.
Drax International, which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was paid US$2 million by Zimbabwe just two weeks after its formation to source the equipment amid rising cases of the global pandemic.
It later emerged that the company was not only illegally contracted, but that it sold the procured kits to the government at inflated prices.
The exposé sparked public outcry, leading to Moyo’s arrest together with Drax International country representative Delish Nguwaya, an ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s family, who has since been removed from remand.
Moyo lost his job over the scandal.
