Harrisom Muzarawetu (35) appeared before magistrate Mrs
Marehwanazvo Gofa charged with abuse of office as a public officer.
The trial is expected to continue on April 24 with one more
witness expected to testify.
The state alleges that sometime in 2019, Muzarawetu met
Oshilla Chikwena who was the focal person in Zimbabwe for a drug syndicate and
he agreed to be sent to India to collect some drugs namely Ephedrine.
The drugs were to be forwarded to a drug kingpin in South
Africa once Muzarawetu had brought them into the country.
Pursuant to their plan, Muzarawetu gave his passport to
Chikwena who assisted him in processing the Indian visa which was valid from
March 15, 2019 to April 14, 2019.
The court heard that to facilitate his movement to India,
Muzarawetu then applied for an urgent vacation leave from March 19, 2019, to
April 15, 2019, on the pretext that he wanted to attend to his sick wife.
Muzarawetu then went to New Delhi, India on April 7, 2019
through Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and came back on April 15,
2019, through the same airport.
He deliberately did not seek permission to leave the
country from the Commissioner-General of Police as required by regulations.
On April 6, 2021 information was received at CID Drugs and
Narcotics Harare that Chikwena was dealing in dangerous drugs and that she was
the focal person in Zimbabwe for an international drug syndicate.
The following day, searches were then conducted at
Chikwena’s house in Manyame Park ,Chitungwiza and drugs which included crystal
meth and cocaine were seized from the house.
Muzarawetu’s passport was recovered from Chikwena’s bedroom
along with three other passports.
All the passports had multiple entry Indian visas valid
from December 3, 2020 to February 2, 2021.
Upon interrogation, Chikwena told the police that she sent
Muzarawetu to India to collect drugs and paid him R15 000 after bringing the
drugs into the country.
Checks were made which confirmed that indeed the accused
person travelled to India in 2019.
A follow-up was then made and the accused was arrested at
his work station.
The state alleged that the fact Muzarawetu associated
himself with a drug syndicate and secretly travelled to India for a purpose
other than the one on his application for urgent leave.
He allegedly bused his duty as a public officer by omitting
to arrest such a drug dealer contrary to his duties by showing favour to
Chikwena. Herald
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