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Fidelis Munyoro

FORMER Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) board chair Stanley Kazhanje has lost his appeal against conviction and a three-year imprisonment imposed on him for failure to declare to his principal, a US$10 000 personal transaction involving a local company, Intratrek Zimbabwe.

Kazhanje was in September 2019 convicted after a full trial by retired senior regional magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya and sentenced to three years in jail before suspending two years on condition of good behaviour.

He appealed against both conviction and sentence.

But Justice Benjamin Chikowero sitting with Justice Felistus Chatukuta, who has since been elevated to the Supreme Court bench dismissed the appeal in its entirety.

The trial court heard that on January 21, 2016, and under unclear circumstances, Kazhanje received US$10 000 into his First Capital Bank personal account from Intratrek’s CBZ Bank account.

Kazhanje failed to declare his interests and presided over a meeting where the power utility resolved to directly pay Intratrek subcontractors instead of terminating the contract.

ZPC went on to pay $4 387 849 as advance payment despite Intratrek’s failure to fulfil its obligation.

The court heard that Kazhanje was influenced by this payment to decide in favour of Intratrek.