Former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) executives Felton Kamambo, Philemon Machana, Stanley Chapeta, Joseph Mamutse, and Brighton Malandule have been acquitted of fraud allegations.

The court docket discovered them not responsible of misrepresenting themselves as ZIFA officers and writing suspension letters to different officers whereas below suspension by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).

The prosecution’s case collapsed as a result of lack of incriminating proof. Key witnesses Sébastien Garikai and Xolisani Gwesela’s testimonies truly cleared the suspects.

The 5 represented by distinguished lawyer Admire Rubaya had maintained their innocence, denying any prison legal responsibility.

Gwesela who was the State’s second witness advised regional Justice of the Peace Taurai Manuwere that he “was shocked that the matter was still progressing” after it emerged that the Sports and Recreation Commission had withdrawn itself as a complainant within the matter.

Gwesela additionally conceded that the alleged suspension of the 5 was null and void because the soccer governing physique FIFA continued to recognise them because the respectable govt and even suspended the nation from all soccer actions.

He additionally advised the court docket that he can’t show that the e-mail he acquired got here from the 5 including that “anything is possible in cyberspace”.

This was after strategies from the defence that somebody may have cast Mamutse’s signature on the stated letter.

“I only received an email from [email protected] but I have no evidence that it was him who sent it. Anything is possible in cyberspace,” he stated.

Garikai, a senior member from the SRC cited as complainants conceded that there was no verification to show that certainly the letters emanated from the 5.

He additionally stated that the letter of suspension to the 5 was silent on what they weren’t purported to do, together with the alleged writing of letters.

The prosecutor requested, “Were the conditions of suspension communicated directly to the accused persons?” to which Garikai replied that the suspension letter didn’t define particular situations.

Garikai additionally advised the court docket that regardless of them suspending the ex-Zifa board members, the world soccer governing physique, FIFA, trashed their actions and went on to ban the nation from all worldwide soccer actions.

He conceded that the SRC didn’t verify whether or not the 5 truly wrote, signed, and despatched the letters to varied ZIFA officers however that they based mostly their report on complaints raised by Gwesela and others to them.

Gwesela denied that he brought about the reporting of the matter to the police however solely cooperated with the SRC as they had been his “employers and paying his salaries”.

He stated he had nothing in opposition to the 5 and had labored properly with them.