CRIMINAL Investigations Department (CID) director Commissioner Chrispen Charumbira (49) has been arrested by the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet on fresh charges of protecting illegal gold dealers.
Charumbira yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Ms
Vongai Muchuchuti charged with two counts of defeating or obstructing the
course of justice and criminal abuse of office by a public officer as defined
in Section 174 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter
9:23.
He was not asked to plead and released on $10 000 bail. As
part of his bail conditions, Charumbira was ordered to report once every Friday
at the Police General Headquarters Anti-Corruption Unit, not to interfere with
State witnesses and reside at his known address.
Allegations against Charumbira are that he interfered with
a case where police in Mutare had arrested David Mucheche for illegally
possessing 1,3 kilogrammes of gold. It is the State’s case that in June 2019 at
around 5am, Detective Constable Mashange, Detective Constable Chada and
Detective Constable Mahere arrested Mucheche at house number 10 Blessblock,
Murambi in Mutare for violating the Gold Trade Act since he was found with the
precious metal without a trading licence.
The police officers took Mucheche to Mutare Central Police
Station where they briefed the Officer-in-Charge Detective Inspector Felix
Muchaka. In the mid of the briefing, it is alleged that one David Cosby budged
into Detective Insp Muchaka’s office and handed him a phone which had
Charumbira on the opposite end of the line.
It is alleged that Charumbira, over the phone, subsequently
ordered the police to release Mucheche and give him back his gold. This was
done before the investigating detectives could verify if Mucheche had a gold
trading licence. Further, the precious mineral had not been recorded in police
records as an exhibit while a warned and cautioned statement had not been
recorded from Mucheche.
Charumbira’s charge sheet reads: “Detective Machaka
complied with the instruction of the accused (Charumbira). The suspect was
given back the gold before it was entered into official books at the station.
The instruction given by the accused to Detective Inspector Machaka was unlawful
and tantamount to obstructing or defeating the course of justice.”
Charumbira was last month arrested for protecting Cosby,
who was allegedly illegally trading in gold. The top cop is also facing a slew
of other charges. Charumbira has a pending court case where he is accused of
interfering, on 17 December 2015, with a case involving Detectives Ndlovu,
Mbundire and Munyandure — all of CID Drugs, Harare — who had arrested Charles
Chabata Magolise for possession of dangerous drugs. Sunday Mail
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