Dube appeared before Mashonaland West provincial
magistrate, Ms Ruth Moyo for initial remand.
He is accused of trying to protect four Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) officers, Detective Assistant Inspector Moses
Million, Detective Assistant Inspector Newton Musende, Detective Sergeant Never
Muchekawaya and Detective Constable Justice Mapfanya who are facing charges of
extorting money from one Washington Ongorani.
Dube allegedly withheld the criminal docket for the four
,thereby contravening Section 184 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act chapter 9:23.
Prosecuting, Ms Teveraishe Zinyemba told the court that
Dube committed the offence on February 13 this year, when he allegedly withheld
the docket under ZRP Chinhoyi Central CR 48/02/21.
The docket had been
prepared by Chief Inspector Elymas Silivani who went with it to court under
prosecutor reference number A225/21.
The court further heard that on March 12, 2021, a public
prosecutor, Ms Gutu, returned the docket to the police station with
instructions for the investigating officer to return the docket on March 19,
2021.
The accused, the court heard, instructed one Superintendent
Ruwanda to bring the docket to his office before ordering him to ignore the
instruction of the public prosecutor.
Dube is also said to have ordered Superintendent Ruwanda to
lock away the docket in the district office’s safe until further instructions.
The then Officer Commanding Makonde District, Chief
Superintendent Elliot Magomo, the court further heard, approached the accused
to inquire why dockets were being kept under lock and the accused is alleged to
have claimed that it was a directive from a higher office.
On May 13, Chief Superintendent Magomo wrote to Dube
advising him of a complaint from Ongorani who queried why his case was taking
long but Dube took no action.
The State opposed the bail application on the basis that
the accused was a flight risk who was also likely to abscond and interfere with
witnesses.
ZACC’s senior investigations officer, Mr Patrick Madiye
said if granted bail, the accused could influence or intimidate some of the
witnesses who were his subordinates.
Mr Madiye also told the court that the accused had
influenced the transfer of two senior officers from the province.
In his bail application, Dube had averred that he was not a
flight risk as he was willing to surrender his travel documents.
He said he was not familiar with the witnesses hence he
would not interfere with them. Herald
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