Firearms smuggling suspect weeps in court

ARMY Colonel Leonard Matambo yesterday wept uncontrollably in the dock after a Harare magistrate said he faced a long jail sentence if convicted of trying to smuggle 31 AK-47 assault rifles into the country.

Matambo’s letter to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) asking for assistance to bring the guns into the country was used as evidence in court.

His boss at the Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), one Air Commodore Mutize, wrote another letter to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) admitting that Matambo’s duty included writing such documents to various State organs.

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