A Zimbabwean official beat a major corruption case. Former Mashonaland West Minister Reuben Marumahoko was acquitted of defrauding a state farming agency. The Chinhoyi Magistrates Court found insufficient proof that he intentionally scammed the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, called ARDA. He was accused of getting seeds, fertilizer, and chemicals for a two-hundred-hectare maize project but only planting forty six hectares, causing a loss of nearly thirty-eight thousand dollars. Magistrate Solomon Jenya ruled the state failed to establish fraudulent intent.
Marumahoko, who also served as Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, argued that failed irrigation and drought conditions prevented full use of the inputs. His arrest by the national anti-corruption body last year followed allegations that he misrepresented his farming capacity. The court accepted his explanation about vandalized equipment and poor weather, clearing him of all charges.
Marumahoko, who also served as Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, argued that failed irrigation and drought conditions prevented full use of the inputs. His arrest by the national anti-corruption body last year followed allegations that he misrepresented his farming capacity. The court accepted his explanation about vandalized equipment and poor weather, clearing him of all charges.
