Rushwaya acquitted

News
CHITUNGWIZA regional magistrate Estere Chivasa yesterday acquitted former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, facing charges of failing to disclose to Zifa trips embarked by the senior man’s national soccer team abroad, bringing to finality what had been dubbed “the Asiagate scandal”.

CHITUNGWIZA regional magistrate Estere Chivasa yesterday acquitted former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, facing charges of failing to disclose to Zifa trips embarked by the senior man’s national soccer team abroad, bringing to finality what had been dubbed “the Asiagate scandal”.

CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER

The former Zifa boss was last year arrested and charged for her alleged failure to disclose to her employer the full nature of transactions pertaining to games played by the Zimbabwe national team abroad.

Chivasa said the State had failed to prove a prima facie case against Rushwaya so as to warrant the court to place her on her defence.

Rushwaya, who was represented by Charles Chinyama, applied for discharge at the close of the State case, arguing the State had failed to prove that she acted contrary to Zifa’s constitution.

“In terms of the Zifa constitution the person in charge was (former Zifa president) Wellington Nyatanga and from the evidence led in court he was aware of each of the transactions carried out by the accused,” he said.

“Accused (Rushwaya), therefore, cannot be found guilty of failing to disclose a transaction to a principal,” she added.

The magistrate further said evidence was led in court to the effect that at some point Nyatanga would sanction the national team’s overseas trips despite him being out of the country.

Allegations against Rushwaya were that while she was in office, she failed to disclose to Zifa unsanctioned games played by the Warriors in Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Malaysia, Bulgaria, China and Thailand.

Rushwaya pleaded not guilty to all nine counts, arguing the matter was purely a labour dispute and not criminal. Oliver Marwa and Sidom Chinzete prosecuted.