The former commissioner-general of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), Geshem Pasi has been temporarily freed by the courts.
The court granted him temporary relief after the state had requested for the postponement of the matter in which he is being accused of criminal abuse of office saying investigations required that officers handling the case travel to China.
Responding to the state’s application last week, Pasi’s lawyer Farai Mushoriwa challenged the postponement, arguing that the postponement was now equal to the persecution of his client. He said:
Accused was arrested on November 8, 2018, and 22 months later, there are no State papers. Postponements have been made with issues of extraterritorial investigations being raised. The same excuse was raised in January last year that they wanted to go to Hongkong.The State does not have anything and they are not showing seriousness and this has become persecution.
Regional magistrate Esthere Chivasa granted Pasi’s application for refusal of further remand and the State will proceed by way of summons.
Pasi is being accused of criminal abuse of office after he engaged a third party in the acquisition of an Information Management System (IMS), prejudicing Zimra of over US$11 million.
More: Daily News