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Zimbabwe: Ex-Minister Seeks Acquittal After State Dithers On Graft Trial

Corruption accused former health minister Obadiah Moyo has told a Harare court he would now be seeking his removal from remand after prosecutors have been delaying his trial.

Moyo has been on remand since his surprise arrest June last year.

He faces corruption charges for illegally approving tenders worth US$60 million in the procurement of Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment.

Since his arrest, the former Chitungwiza General Hospital CEO has been frequenting the courts without any meaningful progress to his trial.

His matter kept on being postponed for one reason or another.

However, when he appeared in court Thursday, Moyo gave notice to challenge further remand if not given trial date.

The state had sought to have his matter postponed indicating that his docket is at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) where it is still being perused.

Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje postponed the matter for the umpteenth time to April 29, 2021.

Moyo was arrested for his dealings with Papi Pharma, Drax International LLC and Drax Consult SAGL, companies prosecutors claim were illegally awarded contracts by the health ministry without a competitive tender process.

The state alleges that Moyo influenced the awarding of a US$60 million tender to Drax International, which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.

The tender was concluded without the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe approval.

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