Former permanent secretary in the ministry of Mines and Mining Development Francis Gudyanga’s plan to escape trial flopped after his application for exception of charges was trashed.
Gudyanga, who is facing corruption charge’s application was dismissed by Harare magistrate Victoria Mashamba for lack of merit.
Magistrate Mashamba dismissed the application and set the trial for June 5.
Allegations are that Gudyanga committed the offence when he was still permanent secretary in the ministry of mines where he chaired the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ).
The state is alleging that Gudyanga never convened a board meeting but claimed $28 000 in board sitting allowances.
It is also said that Gudyanga was the only board member and allegedly never consulted the acting general-manager Richard Chingodza and the corporation’s secretary Nomsa Moyo, whom he was supposed to hold meetings with, according to the Company Act.
The former mines permanent Secretary is on record telling the Harare magistrates’ court during the trial of MMCZ bosses that he paid himself board fees when there was no board to talk of at the parastatal.
Gudyanga told the court in March, 2017 while testifying against the MMCZ bosses: “It is not just sitting, but decision making. No, it was not sitting fees, but boarding fees because we did not sit as a board.
The board is not all about sitting, but consultation and decision making. It took most of my time.”
Prof Gudyanga received $875 monthly as board fees and $460 sitting fees for “sitting” 21 times, totaling to $28 910.
