Henrietta Rushwaya Acquitted... Magistrate Says State's Case Too Weak
Former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) boss Henrietta Rushwaya has been declared not guilty of bribery allegations by a Harare magistrate.
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) president was accused of offering a US$5 000 bribe to an airport official in a bid to smuggle gold worth US$330 000.
The State alleged that Rushwaya attempted to bribe a Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) official Owen Sibanda to allow her to pass through the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport with gold.
Rushwaya had denied the allegations. She said she did not have any money on the day in question and that she never avoided the normal airport routines.
Harare magistrate Learnmore Mapiye ruled that the State’s case was too weak for a reasonable court to convict. He also upheld Rushwaya’s arguments. Said Mapiye:
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The State witness did not support that the accused avoided the ordinary route.
It is also common cause that Owen Sibanda, the key witness, said that he was not offered any money but was going to be offered US$5 000.
Sibanda said that he took the issue of the bribe as a joke which the court was shocked about because the issue of the bribery is not a joke.
The State witness told the court that the accused was arrested for travelling with gold without proper documents but the evidence of the State witness, especially the first one, was not convincing.
The accused might have committed the offence but the State failed to prove beyond belief that she could have committed the offence.
Rushwaya was cleared of the charge after a full trial.
More: NewZimbabwe.com
