Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

LOCAL NEWS

Wicknell Laugh All The Way To The Bank After Fraud Acquittal

In a new turn of events, Harare regional magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube has cleared businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his company, Intratrek Zimbabwe, of the fraud charges involving the Gwanda Solar project.

The magistrate upheld Chivayo and Intratrek’s application for refusal of further remand of the matter and requested for a not guilty verdict.

He noted that the State had failed to prosecute them within a reasonable time since they were summoned back to court.

Chivayo and his company were accused of defrauding the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of $5.6 million in a deal to construct a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Gwanda.

The State alleged that they misrepresented that they had the capacity and funds to execute the project, but failed to do so after receiving the money.

However, Chivayo and Intratrek denied the allegations and challenged the State’s case at various levels of the court system.

They argued that they had performed their obligations under the contract and that the delays were caused by ZPC’s failure to provide land, water, and environmental impact assessment reports.

The magistrate agreed with Chivayo and Intratrek’s submissions and ruled that there was no evidence of fraud or misrepresentation on their part.

He also said that the State had violated their constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial by dragging the case for too long.

Chivhayo and his company have been in and out of the courts over the ZPC deal since 2015.

The acquittal of Chivayo and Intratrek is a major blow to the anti-corruption crusade in Zimbabwe, which has been marred by allegations of selective prosecution and political interference.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | After presidential intervention, the NSSA Board Chair was compelled to return her car. According to a close source with knowledge of the...

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader, self-proclaimed prophet Magaya, has once again come under fire for trying to dodge a story that...

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | Arthur Manase, the National Social Security Authority (Nssa) general manager (GM), who was suspended last year over graft charges, has resigned, according...

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | NSSA board chairman Mr Emmanuel Fundira has come under criticism after it was revealed that he utilised pension money to finance his...

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | Dr. Anyway Mutambudzi, Zimbabwe’s Chief Director of Strategic Communications, Presidential Communications, and the Office of the President and Cabinet, has described journalist...

LOCAL NEWS

A Zimbabwean nanny named Theresa Dawes claims that she was fired by Carrie Johnson, the wife of Boris Johnson, just three days into her...

LOCAL NEWS

Bindura Mayor Jacob Gwature, who was arrested for fraud and spent the weekend in Harare Remand Prison, is due back in court today to...

LOCAL NEWS

South Africa: A South African woman is currently under fire after it was revealed that she poured boiling water on her live-in boyfriend and...