The High Court will now reopen Prisca Mupfumira, the former Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, and her then-Permanent Secretary Ngoni Masoka’s trial regarding misappropriating NSSA funds.
They are accused of two counts of criminal abuse of office as public officers and one count of corruptly concealing a transaction from a principal.
The State, represented by Mr. Tafara Chirambira, requested an extension until March 29 since the State was not yet ready to proceed with the trial when the two appeared before Harare regional judge Mr. Stanford Mambanje on Thursday.
Then, Mupfumira’s attorney, Mr. Admire Rubaya, contested the continued placement on remand, claiming that the State had taken a long time to organise its affairs.
Since Regional Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi, who had previously presided over the trial, had been promoted to the rank of judge, Magistrate Mambanje declared that the trial had to begin over.
He decreed that Masoka and Mupfumira must appear in court on February 29 in order to be charged.
The person representing Masoka is Mr. Mehluli Tshuma.
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Former Cabinet minister Mupfumira had earlier asked the High Court to hear her appeal against the lower court’s decision to reject her plea for discharge at the conclusion of the State’s case.
The two reportedly stole US$90,000 in money from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), which were intended to be used to buy a Toyota Landcruiser.
They allegedly also gave their approval for Mupfumira’s family to go and stay in South Africa for a wedding using NSSA funding.
In the trial, four State witnesses had already given testimony.
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