HARARE magistrate, Themba Kuwanda yesterday heard yesterday that Police Chief Superintendent Nyaradzai Majachani and Superintendent Sheperd Tachiona pocketed $30 000 in bribe money from Croco Motors as a cover-up for the company’s vehicle smuggling syndicate.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
This was disclosed by a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) informer, Delish Nguwaya, as he filed a Constitutional Court application in a case where he is charged with extorting $20 000 from Chinese businessman, Baonin Guo.
Nguwaya is being charged together with Vengai Zano, Mbizo Mbereki Nyathi and Clever Gadzikwa, who are all State security agents.
He argued that his constitutional rights were being violated by the State after it sought to prosecute him after initially promising him immunity on the grounds that he had helped expose rogue elements within the security system and the role played by senior officers on the allegations in court.
Nguwaya is contesting his arrest, saying the police tricked him into giving them self-incriminating evidence, which they were now using to charge him.
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Nguwaya’s lawyer, Jonathan Samukange, asked police Superintendent Nyambo Viera, who was testifying under cross-examination, if he investigated the Croco Motors allegations, and he said he had not.
After Samukange threatened to expose him, Viera admitted to having investigated the matter, but said he dumped the investigations because a Croco Motors official, Moses Chingwena, was unco-operative.
Viera said they tried to verify the said motor vehicles, but they could not locate them, saying he had also investigated Majachani on more than 10 complaints, but all were cleared.
Samukange said Nguwaya told deputy director in the President’s Office Kizito Gweshe that Majachani’s role in the alleged scam was to befriend Chinese businessmen and other influential people with money and investigate their source of wealth. Majachani would then advise Tachiona, who would assemble a team of rogue officers to pounce on the Chinese investors.
Viera also confirmed in court that the complainant was Tachiona’s friend, while Nguwaya and Tachiona’s were former colleagues. He did not deny Samukange’s assertion that Tachiona had assembled the team that robbed Guo.
Samukange then asked why he, as the investigating officer, did not charge Tachiona, and Viera said he did not have a comment.
The matter is expected to continue today.