A HARARE prison officer forged a medical report in a bid to free a suspected armed robber. The prison officer, Takawira Taderera (42), appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi on Wednesday facing a charge of defeating the course of justice.
He appeared alongside the suspected armed robber Witness Nyarupa (44). They were remanded in custody to tomorrow for bail ruling.
Taderera, who is employed by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), was being represented by Malvin Mapako and Joseph Nemaisa.
State prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi alleged that on December 2, 2021, Nyarupa was arrested by detectives from CID Homicide Harare on a charge of armed robbery. While at remand prison, trial proceedings were stopped after Nyarupa indicated that he had hearing problems.
The State applied for leave to allow Nyarupa to be medically examined by an audiologist. On June 23, 2023, Nyarupa was taken to Audiomax Clinic in the capital for examination. An audiological evaluation was conducted by a doctor who concluded that Nyarupa had no such problem.
The report was sent to the ZPCS Harare Remand Prison for further management. Taderera, who is employed at ZPCS as a court orderly, intercepted the report and forged another claiming that Nyarupa had a hearing problem. Taderera took the forged report to Harare Magistrate’s court on January 17, 2024.
The prosecutor requested the audiologist to come to court to explain the medical report. However, the audiologist distanced herself from the forged report. On January 23, 2024, Nyarupa admitted to having connived with Taderera to forge the report, leading to his arrest.
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