The Anti-Corruption Court in Zimbabwe postponed for the second time on Friday the sentencing of Henrietta Rushwaya, who was convicted of attempting to smuggle six kilograms of gold worth US$330,000 out of the country three years ago.
Justice Pisirayi Kwenda postponed Rushwaya’s sentencing to Tuesday, August 9, 2023, to allow the state and her defence counsel to address the court in line with new sentencing guidelines. The guidelines require the victim, in this case, the Ministry of Economic Development and Investment Promotion through the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), to give evidence of the harm the crime caused to the country.
On Thursday, Justice Benjamin Chikowero had postponed sentencing in another high-profile corruption case involving former Finance and Economic Development deputy minister, Terence Mukupe and three accomplices, who were accused of illegally importing nearly 139,000 litres of fuel without paying duty.
Justice Kwenda said the sentence might not happen on Tuesday, but the matter would certainly be finalized during the week.
The two cases are being finalized at a time when the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) seems to have upped the tempo to clear corruption cases involving high-profile personalities since the appointment of former Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, as the new NPA head.
The NPA’s failure to clear these high-profile corruption cases in the past had courted the ire of the public, who believed the arrests were part of what has been popularly known as the “catch and release” syndrome, meant to hoodwink them into believing that action was being taken on corruption involving high-profile personalities, when they were allowed to ease back into society without even a rebuke.
Rushwaya was convicted of attempting to smuggle gold to Dubai through the VIP lounge at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on October 26, 2020. The gold weighed six kilograms and was valued at US$330,000.
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