Two senior officials in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Sekesai Zinyowera and Crossman Mayavo, who were attached to the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory (NMRL), yesterday appeared in court facing three counts of criminal abuse of office.

Zinyowera was employed as a coordinator, while Mayavo was an administrator at NMRL.

They were both not asked to plead to charges when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Hosiah Mujaya who remanded them to March 27 for their routine appearance.

Zinyoweni was granted $2 000, while Mayavo is also out on $1 000 bail. Director of all Ministry of Health and Child Care laboratories in Zimbabwe Mr Douglas Mangwanya is representing the ministry.

Prosecutor Mrs Tinashe Makiya said on July 14, 2014, a management meeting was held at NMRL where Zinyowera was chairing, while Mayavo was recording minutes.

It was during the meeting when Zinyowera decided that 60 percent of received user fees was to be apportioned to NMRL, while 40 percent was to be shared amongst the employees.

The duo is alleged to have made the decision knowing that there was no such policy from the Government and that there was no approval from the Ministry of Finance.

They also reportedly deliberately withheld the minutes of the meeting from the ministry's permanent secretary, who is the accounting officer.