Antony Chawagarira
MASVINGO – The long-running corruption case involving Masvingo Provincial Education Director Shylatte Mhike was postponed to this Wednesday after the State failed to file its closing submissions.
Regional Magistrate Innocent Bepura was expected to deliver a ruling last Tuesday on an application for discharge at the close of the State case, but deferred the matter, citing the prosecution’s failure to meet procedural requirements.
Mhike is jointly charged with Masvingo Provincial Education Finance Director Liniah Chinoda and Chivi District Schools Inspector Evershine Ndongwe.The trio, through their lawyers Takunda Chikwati of Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners and Yolander Chandata of H. Tafa and Associates, had applied for discharge arguing that the State had not established a prima facie case.
They submitted that the evidence presented was insufficient to sustain a conviction and urged the court to dismiss the matter.However, Magistrate Bepura dismissed the application, ruling that the accused persons still have a case to answer.Allegations are that Mhike and Chinoda fraudulently claimed US$600 in Travel and Subsistence Allowances for an accounts verification exercise which they allegedly did not attend.
Ndongwe is accused of coercing Chivi District Education Accountant Tapiwa Mapindani into processing the claims.The case, which has been before the courts for over a year, is now set to continue this week when the court is expected to deliver its ruling.
