Intratrek managing director Mr Wicknell Chivayo  was yesterday absolved of any criminal liability in the $5,6 million fraud charge involving Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)’s Gwanda solar project.

Mr Chivayo was facing three counts of fraud, while the other two counts of breaching Exchange Control regulations suffered a stillbirth, shortly before the trial commenced.

It was also the court’s finding that considering the circumstances of Mr Chivayo’s case, allowing prosecution or at worst his conviction  would amount to violation of Section 42 of the Constitution, which provides protection upon the doctrine of sanctity of contracts while the judgment underscored that criminal sanctions would not apply in inherently civil cases as the present.

Mr Chivayo had in the lower court attempted to quash the charges through an application for exception, but this was thrown out by magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube, presiding over the trial.

-State Media