By Crime and Court Reporter- Former Public Service Minister Prisca Mupfumira has been acquitted of the US$90 million National Social Security Authority (NSSA) fraud charges.
Mupfumira, who is also believed to be an intimate partner of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, was cleared following a full trial.
Mupfumira faced allegations of criminal abuse of office, accused of “corruptly” influencing a US$90 million property development deal between NSSA and Drawcard Enterprises.
However, Deputy Chief Magistrate Ngoni Nduna delivered a judgment on Saturday, acquitting her of all charges.
The allegations centered on claims that Mupfumira had handpicked Drawcard, a land development firm, without going to tender and pressured NSSA into entering an agreement with the company.
However, Nduna ruled that since Mupfumira never sat on the NSSA Board, she could not have been responsible for selecting Drawcard Enterprises.
In his ruling, Nduna stated, “Her cry that she may have been a mere victim is not far-fetched. The court comes to this conclusion because there is all the evidence, in black and white, that NSSA Board proceeded on its own resolution in the execution of the Mzenya Project, but the State persisted with her prosecution.”
The court found no evidence of meetings where Mupfumira was recorded forcing NSSA to engage Drawcard.
Additionally, Nduna noted that the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) provisions were superseded by a resolution from June 30, 2017, regarding the application on Offtake Housing Projects and the engagement of a developer.
He concluded, “The only conclusion to be arrived at is that NSSA did not go to tender because they resolved not to do so. The accused was not part of the deliberations where that resolution was arrived at.”
If PRAZ regulations had applied to the projects, it was the responsibility of NSSA’s legal advisors to inform the board.
Nduna highlighted that the legal service department at NSSA failed to properly advise the board, leading to the prosecution of Mupfumira based on the actions of others.
Represented by Admire Rubaya of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, Mupfumira consistently denied the allegations, arguing that her prosecution was motivated by individuals opposed to her loyalty to President Mnangagwa during his tenure as vice president.
She maintained that the selection of Drawcard was the board’s responsibility, and the court agreed with her defense.
Mupfumira was jointly charged with NSSA director Barnabas Matongera, who was discharged at the close of the State’s case.