Former Minister Appeals To High Court, Says State Is After Him Though He Is Innocent

Former Minister of Energy Samuel Undenge has filed an application for the High Court to review Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya’s determination that he has a case to answer. Undenge who is facing charges of criminal abuse of office insists that the Magistrate should have dismissed the case against him at the end of the state’s case. Part of his application reads,

Having accepted that my (Undenge) defence was clear and that I did not know Oscar Pambuka and Psychology Maziwisa except for the business contact, that I was not related to them, that I did not expect to be paid, that I was not paid anything and that I did not direct the ZPC managing director of executive public relations office to hire it, the magistrate ought to have held that, therefore, I lacked the necessary intention to commit the crime in question.

The court (Mujaya) said I must be put to my defence to explain the letter. I humbly submit that this approach is incorrect. What the court did is tantamount to putting the onus on me to prove my innocence.

More: NewsDay