High Court Overturns Fraud Conviction of Ex-AirZim Executives
The High Court has overturned the conviction of two former executives of the state-owned Air Zimbabwe, who were initially found guilty of fraud charges.
Former Chief Executive Peter Chikumba and ex-Company Secretary Grace Pfumbidzayi had been accused of abusing their office by awarding a US$10 million insurance contract to a local company in 2009 without going through a proper tender process.
Magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni had originally sentenced them to an effective seven years in jail. Despite their appeal dismissal by former High Court Judge Justice Edith Mushore in April 2017, the recent decision by High Court judges, Justices Pisirayi Kwenda and Benjamin Chikowero, has quashed the 2015 conviction.
The order, issued on Monday, stated, “Whereupon, after reading documents filed on record and hearing counsel, it is ordered by consent that the conviction is quashed.”
Chikumba and Pfumbidzayi have been on free bail throughout this legal process.
