By Own Correspondent| Alec  Muchadehama, lawyer to former Energy Minister Samuel Undenge who was last week Friday jailed for abuse of office charges has vowed to appeal at the High Court against his client’s conviction.

Muchadehama gave the notice of appeal after Undenge was sentenced to four years in jail by Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya after he was found guilty for criminal abuse of office.

Undenge, who was accused of prejudicing the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of $12 650, will serve an effective two-and-a-half years in prison and was convicted after a full trial.

He was sentenced to four years in prison, with one-and-a-half years suspended on condition he does not commit a similar crime.

It is the state’s case that Undenge in 2016 handpicked a public relations company owned by Zanu-pf legislator Psychology Maziwisa and former ZBC news anchor Oscar Pambuka to do work for Zimbabwe Power Company without going to tender.

However,  during his trial Undenge told the court that he was misled by Fruitful Company owners; Pambuka and Maziwisa, who made him sign the letter on the pretext that it was a directive from the Office of the president.

Prosecutor, Mr Jonathan Murombedzi however argued that the court had to jail Undenge to discourage corruption.

He said Undenge was trying to hide behind Pambuka and Maziwisa when he was infact guilty.

“The accused’s blameworthiness in circumstances is very high. He was a good steward and he was a minister in a portfolio that involved anti-corruption.

“He knew well that stooping so low in doing business with Oscar Pambuka and Psychology Maziwisa was unlawful. The fact that they went to him after payments from ZPC stopped meant that he knew what was going on,” said Mr Murombedzi.

He proposed that the former minister be jailed 5 years as a way of sending a message of zero tolerance to corruption especially by public office bearers.