FIVE Harare police officers yesterday appeared in court on
allegations of receiving a bribe and stealing money from a suspected illegal
foreign currency dealer. Tafadzwa Chidawa (31), Edward Solomani (33), Sydine
Mugambiwa (32), Tendai Mangena (37) and Richard Majome (34) were facing
criminal abuse of duty as a public officer charges when they appeared before
Harare magistrate Mrs Barbra Mateko.
They were granted $100 bail each. As part of their bail
conditions they were ordered not to interfere with State witnesses and to
continue residing at their given addresses.
They were also ordered to report once every Friday at CID
Homicide. Mrs Mateko deferred the matter to June 19.
The lawyer representing Chidawa, Solomani, Mugambiwa and
Mangena told the court that his clients had complaints against the police who
he accused of confiscating their personal savings amounting to US$240 from
their homes.
In consenting to bail, prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa
told the court that the State was not opposing it because all the accused
persons are police officers and that they all live in police camps.
The court heard that on May 28 Chiwara, who operates his
business as Structured Finance and Commodity Trading, went to a block of flats
located at the corner of Fife Avenue and Fifth Street, Harare, to meet a friend
who had offered him an exchange rate in RTGS transfer for his US$200 000 which
he had.
It is the State’s case that Chiwara went to the block of
flats in the company of Henry Abraham and Wisdom Hodzi where they started
counting the money.
After they finished counting the money which amounted to
US$200 000, the five accused persons arrived and informed them that they were
under arrest for illegal dealing in foreign currency and were taken to ZRP
Harare Central in a BMW 5 Series which belongs to Chidawa while Abraham was
ferried in the police vehicle.
The court heard that on their way to Harare Central Police
Station, Chidawa and his accomplices told Chiwara that his money would be
seized. They emphasised this aspect, prompting Chiwara to suggest that he would
leave part of the recovered money in Chidawa’s car and removed money amounting
to US$158 400.
It is the State’s case that upon arrival at Harare Central
Police Station the accused persons and Chiwara disembarked from the car with a
suitcase containing US$41 600 and took it to CID TFC office and left $USD158
400 secured in the locked motor vehicle.
The court heard that whilst at CID TFC offices the accused
persons counted the cash to be recorded and seized. They further agreed to
remove another US$20 590 left US$21 010 which was to be blocked as exhibit
after they said they wanted US$2 000 as a bribe which they took and shared
amongst themselves.
The remaining cash which amounted US$21 010 was later taken
as exhibit.
It is alleged that Chidawa later gave Abraham the cash
which was left in the motor vehicle and the former gave him cash amounting to
US$1 000 as a token of appreciation for helping him conceal the cash.
The court heard that Abraham later took the cash which he
counted and discovered that it amounted to US$146 400 and US$11 000 was
missing.
Tafadzwa Hungwe is representing Majome. Herald
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