Parirenyatwa wants charges thrown out

By Nokuthaba Nkomo

Former Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa — who is facing charges of criminal abuse of office — has petitioned the High Court seeking an order to stop his prosecution, arguing the charges levelled against him were fabricated.

Parirenyatwa — who was arrested last month before being freed on $500 bail — cited the presiding magistrate Elisha Singano, the State and the acting Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi, as respondents in the application filed in the High Court on Tuesday.

Parirenyatwa stands accused of interfering with and prejudicing the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (NatPharm) of $15 003.

He said he had not yet been furnished with a trial date.

“In fact, there is no docket on which I could be tried. What is clear is that the second and third respondents arrested me in order to embarrass me on confusing and confused allegations which do not make sense at all,” Parirenyatwa said.

He further said that the State should not have arrested him in order to investigate the matter, adding that the arrest was a clear violation of his rights. DailyNews