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Court Reporter
THE High Court last week postponed indefinitely a civil trial in which former zupco board chairman Professor Charles Nherera is suing businessman Mr Jayesh Shah for allegedly maliciously causing his arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on frivolous charges.

Prof Nherera was acquitted by the High Court after serving a two-year prison term and now claims damages amounting to $400 000 against Mr Shah.

Mr Shah was a key witness in the criminal trial which resulted in Prof Nherera being sent to jail for two years before the conviction and sentenced were quashed on appeal at the High Court. The hearing was supposed to start last Thursday before Justice Priscillah Chigumba but was deferred because Mr Shah’s lawyer Advocate Lewis Uriri was committed elsewhere.

Prof Nherera is claiming $100 000 for malicious prosecution and $300 000 for malicious arrest and detention.

He was in 2006 jailed for two years for corruption.

The High Court then heard his appeal and quashed the conviction.

The allegation was that Prof Nherera solicited for a bribe from Mr Shah, who operated Gift Investments, so that his company would be awarded a tender to supply the Mazda Swaraj buses to zupco.

Prof Nherera’s lawyers Magwaliba and Kwirira Legal Practitioners are suing Mr Shah on the grounds that he was the one who made a police report.

Prof Nherera claims he was aware that Mr Shah’s reports were false and malicious.