Kwekwe, Zimbabwe – November 5, 2024
Kwekwe businessman Asif Kurawely, director of Seven Rows Investments (Pvt) Limited, trading as Arman Petroleum, has been acquitted of charges connected to the alleged acquisition of stolen fuel in 2020. Kurawely, 48, was accused of fraudulently obtaining 20,000 liters of diesel from Harare-based Phoenix Oil Pvt Limited, operated by Onismus Kufazvinei. The fuel, initially reported stolen, became the focus of a protracted legal dispute.
The allegations stemmed from a complaint lodged by Christine Matizha, who claimed that Kufazvinei had unlawfully sold the diesel to Kurawely. In October 2020, detectives from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Kwekwe executed a search and seizure warrant on Kurawely, instructing him to retain the diesel as it was to be held as evidence in the investigation. However, that same month, the Kwekwe Magistrate Court, presided over by Magistrate Florence Nago, dismissed the application, effectively permitting the diesel’s release.
In an attempt to clarify the legal standing, Kurawely’s lawyer, Liberty Mashanyare, advised his client that he could proceed with selling the diesel following the court’s dismissal of the case. Mashanyare’s legal interpretation of the court order led to his own arrest on charges of obstructing the course of justice, though he was later acquitted.
The latest ruling, delivered on October 31, 2024, by Magistrate Tembo, provided a decisive end to the legal wrangling. Magistrate Tembo noted that the original search and seizure warrant had since expired and could no longer be enforced. Furthermore, the court acknowledged that Kufazvinei, the initial suspect accused of fuel theft, had already been acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
With the case against Kurawely dismissed, this verdict highlights the court’s stance on the misuse of warrants and the limitations of legal measures when evidence is insufficient. The ruling not only clears Kurawely but also brings closure to a complex legal matter involving corporate transactions and allegations of fraud within the fuel industry.– Ziana