Notorious armed robber Luckmore Matambanadzo, who was serving a nine-year sentence for robbing a Harare couple of an Isuzu KB250 vehicle at gunpoint in 2008, has been released from prison.
Matambanadzo, who was jailed in 2013 and lost an appeal against
conviction and sentence at the High Court in 2014, was released two weeks ago.
Matambanadzo has a pending case as he is alleged to have
been among six prisoners, including jailed cleric Robert Martin Gumbura, facing
attempted prison break charges.
Their review of their application for discharge over prison
break charges at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in 2015 is pending.
Matambanadzo, who allegedly masterminded a series of high
profile armed robberies while also operating with jailed serial robbery suspect
— Musa Taj Abdul — was released together with his accomplice Thomas Chacha.
Prison and police sources yesterday confirmed Matambanadzo
and Chacha’s release from prison.
A Harare Regional Court convicted Matambanadzo in 2008 of
robbing a city couple of an Isuzu KB250 vehicle at gunpoint.
The vehicle was recovered at a roadblock in Chiredzi where
Matambanadzo had sent twins — Elphanet and John Shana — to deliver it to a
buyer.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years were
conditionally set aside, but was released on bail pending appeal.
Matambanadzo then appealed at the High Court against
conviction and sentence, but the Appeal Court in 2014 upheld the magistrate’s
decision.
The then Judge President George Chiweshe ruled that the
magistrate properly convicted and sentenced Matambanadzo and that there was no
misdirection on his part. Herald
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