Zifa faces $27 000 lawsuit

By Tendai Kamhungira

A travel company has dragged embattled Zifa to the High Court seeking to garnish the soccer body’s bank account after it failed to pay $27 000 for 2015 airfares.

The Travel Bureau, which trades as Arena Travel, claims that it has since won a High Court order for it to be paid the money, but now seeks an order for Zifa’s Steward Bank accounts to be garnished through a court order.

“This is an application for an order that any money due or becoming due in the future to the judgment debtor by the garnishee, Steward Bank . . . in the form any money held, deposited or transferred into account number 1001172359 and account number 100142926, shall be attached in terms of order 42, Rule 337 of the High Court Rules, 1971,” the travel company’s managing director Tendai Gutu said in an affidavit, in the application filed on Monday.

The company is demanding a total of $27 870, plus interest at five percent per annum from May 26, 2015 to date of full payment.

“The debt arose from outstanding airfares which applicant (Arena Travel) had paid for the Zimbabwe football team to travel to Cameroon, at the instance of the judgment debtor.

“The judgment debtor has not abided by the order in that it has not paid the judgment creditor the money it owes despite the fact that it makes income through its various football activities,” Gutu said.

He said he believes that Zifa gets money through the Steward Bank account from among them the Premier Soccer League.

“All the monies received in this account are in the custody of the garnishee, who holds the money on behalf of the judgment debtor and pays it out as and when the judgment debtor requires use of the money.

“The judgment creditor seeks an order to attach any funds held deposited or transferred into the two accounts until its debt is satisfied by the judgment debtor…,” the court heard.

Gutu further said that his company continues to be prejudiced by Zifa’s failure to pay the money.

“The judgment creditor is continually incurring legal costs which could be easily avoided and the court (must) show its displeasure to the actions of the judgment debtor by granting this application with costs on a higher scale,” he said.

Zifa has not yet responded to the application, in the matter which is still pending before the High Court. Daily News