Zim GBC News | Crimes and Courts
HARARE – The High Court has acquitted Dr. Michael Mandaza, owner of Pacific 24 Hours Hospital in Mabvuku, on two counts of fraud, ending a five-year legal ordeal that threatened his career and freedom.
Justice Hungwe ruled that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dr. Mandaza fabricated blood test results for two patients in 2020 and 2021.
The doctor had been accused of misrepresenting that he would send patients’ blood samples to a registered laboratory, instead allegedly generating fictitious results on his laptop using a non-existent “Sampling Diagnostics Laboratory” letterhead.
In his ruling, Justice Hungwe stated,
“The State was tasked to establish a link between this accused and the fake results… In this case, it is the court’s view the State did not manage to do so, to the extent of reasonable doubt.”
He noted the lack of evidence linking the disputed stamp to Dr. Mandaza and the failure to exclude the possibility that other hospital employees could have been responsible.
The case began after a tip-off to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which led to a raid and the seizure of approximately 40,000 patient files. Investigators claimed only three files contained suspicious results.
During the trial, one of the named patients, Sandra Bed, testified that ZACC officers informed her she had been given fake results, but she was not shown the specific documents. She maintained that Dr. Mandaza had always treated her professionally.
The principal investigating officer from ZACC, Shingai Mudede, said evidence from a laptop underwent forensic examination and matched the allegations, though these documents were not produced in court.
Dr. Mandaza defended himself by asserting the case was fabricated by “disgruntled employees” he had dismissed. He questioned the chain of custody of the seized files, suggesting they could have been tampered with during the three months they were held by ZACC.
A hospital employee, Grace Mbaimbai, testified that the stamp in question was kept in a public space accessible to all staff, not assigned to a specific doctor.
Ultimately, the judge found the doctor’s defense probable and the State’s case insufficient.
“The accused is hereby found not guilty and acquitted on both counts,” Justice Hungwe concluded.
Dr. Mandaza’s legal storm, which he described as a period facing “the possibility of going to jail, deregistration and humiliation,” has now passed.
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