THE State has withdrawn charges against former National Social Security Authority (NSSA) general manager Elizabeth Chitiga, who was accused of criminal abuse of office charges involving US$31 million.
Chitiga was on remand for five years and she had been coming to court as the State failed to provide her with a trial date.
Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje told regional magistrate Donald Ndirowei that they were withdrawing all the charges against her without giving any reasons.
Her lawyer objected, saying Chitiga was actually requesting a permanent stay of prosecution.
But magistrate Ndirowei ruled that the charges had been withdrawn, meaning there is no case before the court against the accused.
Ndirowei said he could not seek further reasons on permanent stay of prosecution.
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He added that he had also been considering removing her from remand as the State took five years without giving her a trial date, saying this had financially prejudiced the accused person.
The State was alleging that Chitiga and her alleged accomplice James Tirivavi, who was a strategic executive assistant at NSSA, instructed National Building Society (NBS) to carry out projects in Dzivaresekwa (Harare), Chikanga Extension (Mutare), Shropshire (Gweru), Lot 834 and 835 (Zvishavane) and Elsmond (Zvishavane) at a cost of US$78 827 500, without following due process.
NBS is a subsidiary of NSSA.
The bank had been given a mandate by the pensions authority to construct 10 000 low-cost housing units countrywide in September last year and a team led by head of housing projects, Silas Mukono, had identified 14 possible projects out of which they selected five: Victoria Range in Masvingo, Denver Township (Bulawayo), Mkoba (Gweru), Dulibadzimu (Beitbridge) and Emganwini Phase 4 (Bulawayo).
The value of the projects were US$80 991 200.
This was turned down by Tirivavi.
The State alleges that in an effort to regularise directives to NBS, Chitiga and Tirivavi connived and misrepresented to the board investments committee that NBS required funding for five projects.
The board allegedly acted on the misrepresentation and approved funding for the projects totalling US$78 827 500 on the understanding that due process had been done by both NSSA and NBS.
It is alleged that due diligence was done for only two of the five projects and, as a result, Chitiga and Tirivavi’s actions potentially prejudiced NSSA of US$31 727 500.