Story by Fungai Jachi, Courts Reporter
FORMER Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) chief executive officer, Meanwell Gudu who was facing criminal abuse of office charges involving over US$2 million has been acquitted after the State withdrew charges before the plea.
Gudu was jointly charged with his co-accused Stuart Shanyika, TIMB’s former Head of Special Services and Dr Andrew Matibiri, a retired former TIMB chief executive officer.
The accused were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in 2022.
Allegations are that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) during 2017/2018 farming season introduced a tobacco financing facility to support small-scale tobacco farmers with farming inputs and working capital.
On the 10th of September 2018, a memorandum of agreement was signed between RBZ as the provider of the funds for the facility, Agribank now AFC Commercial Bank as the agent and TIMB as the borrower.
TIMB was to procure inputs, provide funds for capital expenditure and disburse the inputs to small-scale tobacco farmers.
The State alleged that contrary to provisions of the agreement, the accused persons working in connivance entered into private agreements with other tobacco contractors.
It was alleged that they hand-picked the contractors in a deal corruptly designed to support the firms with inputs from the TIMB loan obtained from Agribank and supported by RBZ.
It was further alleged that the accused persons acted contrary or inconsistent with their duties as public officers by unilaterally assigning or ceding their obligations against the provisions of section 8 of the contract between TIMB, RBZ and Agribank.
The State further alleges that the RBZ was prejudiced of US$2 million and nothing was recovered.
