HARARE - President Robert Mugabe and Minister of Youth Development Saviour Kasukuwere have been implicated in the case of businessman and sports personality Temba Mliswa accused of fraud involving over US$1 million.

This was revealed yesterday when Mliswa’s trial opened before regional magistrate Never Katiyo.

Mliswa is accused of illegally acquiring shares from Noshio Motors owned by Paul Westwood.

Led by prosecutor Goodwill Nyasha, Paul Westwood, thefirst State witness and co-owner of Noshio Motors said Mliswa told him that he was the Vice President of the
Affirmative Action Group and had been sent by Kasukuwere to take-over his company in line with the country’s indigenisation policy.

“The first accused (Mliswa) came to my offices and told me that he had been sent by Kasukuwere and that even his Excellency President Mugabe was well aware of this,” Westwood said.

He said Mliswa, who is jointly accused with five others – Alfred Mwatiwamba, George Marere, Pastor Hammarskjold and his wife Brendaly Banda, the son of Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa, Martin Mutasa, threatened to make him disappear if he declined to comply.

“The accused (Mliswa) told me if I do not co-operate he will make me disappear and I will never see my wife and children again,” Westwood said.

Westwood told the court that Mliswa had prejudiced him of more than US$60 000 in unpaid salary and allowance since he illegally acquired the company on December 19, 2009.

“He had appointed himself executive chairman and I was barred from work as operational director until the 12th of January 2010. This deteriorated my life,” he said.

Westwood said Mliswa had run down the company and mismanaged the company resulting in the firm accumulating  large debt. He also said on January 11, 2010, Mliswa’s co-accused  Marere, who had been appointed finance director of Noshio Motors and Murambiwa – the managing director, threatened to kill him after he went to the firm to demand his salary and  benefits.

Under cross examination by Mliswa’s lawyer Charles Chinyama, Westwood stated that he still owned 50 percent of the company’s shares although he did not receive any dividends ever since the company was taken over by Mliswa  who he also accused of illegally running the firm.

Mr Chinyama averred that Mliswa and his co-accused were being wrongfully charged as there was no fraud disclosed by the witness.

The court also ordered Westwood to produce his passport today to establish if he was a Zimbabwean citizen after the defence lawyer raised concerns over his ownership of the company while it is believed that he is a British citizen.

Mliswa and his accomplices have vehemently denied the charges which stem in October last year following a dispute over misappropriation of company funds by Pastor Banda’s wife, Brendaly who was finance and human resources manager.

Brendaly had allegedly misappropriated US$25 000 withoutWestwood’s knowledge. She was subsequently suspended inOctober.  In August the State further claims, Banda borrowed US$100000 from Mliswa at 5 percent interest per month. He allegedly failed to repay the loan resulting in Mliswa demanding that he surrender his Noshio shares to offset the debt.The trial continues Wednesday

By Daily News