THE trial of a five-man gang that allegedly masqueraded as military intelligence and police details name-dropping members of the First Family before extorting mining firms in the Matabeleland region has been set for January 23.
Munyaradzi Charakupa, Victor Jaja, Tawanda Mangi, Paul Chakaingesu and Percy Pemba will appear before Bulawayo magistrate Shepherd Mjanja facing fraud and extortion charges.
This was after a long break in their case since their arrest last year as the first three accused applied to be released on bail pending trial which was dismissed by the courts.
They are all being represented by Panashe Mudawo from Mudimu Law Chambers.
Charakupa, Jaja and Mangi are out on US$200 bail each which they were granted on December 6, 2024.
Chakaingeisu and Pemba are also out on US$300 bail each.
The accused were exposed after they targeted mines in which prominent Bulawayo lawyer Dumisani Dube is an interested party.
It is alleged that the suspects resorted to extorting money from the complainants challenging a corporate rescue certificate held by Dube.
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Charakupa, Jaja and Mangi were arrested after Dube went to Harare and engaged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, Sean, and the Attorney-General’s Office following endless extortion raids against mining firms in which Dube is an interested party.
In his statement, Dube said Sean disowned the gang and told him to report it to the police.
Allegations are that in February 2024, Jaja visited Dube’s office and introduced himself as a former officer-in-charge at Beitbridge Police Station who was now attached to the President’s Office as a member of the Police Protection Unit.
He claimed to have been deployed to Sean’s security team, with Mangi as his immediate boss in the Office of the President.
It is the State’s case that they were in the company of Charakupa and Pemba, who claimed to be members of the military intelligence deployed to look after the late War Veterans ministry permanent secretary Clive Mphambela’s interests in Matabeleland.
The court heard that they were in possession of a file containing special grant applications for Matabeleland South province belonging to different individuals who included three of Dube’s professional mining clients.
They said the claims would be cancelled unless a protection fee of US$300 000 was paid to Sean, their boss.
In his statement signed at the CID Law and Order section, Dube said he refused to pay.
“A month later, on April 24, 2024, I was appointed corporate rescue practitioner of Fools Investment (Pvt) Ltd by Master of High Court under CRPB 1/24. The accused subsequently came to my office claiming to be directors of Fools Investment and demanded US$200 000 each. Jaja showed me an official card from the Office of the President as his identification,” the statement read.
On the third count, the court heard that they attempted to extort Dube’s client of US$800 000.
The prosecution alleged that on the fourth count, the five on July 23, 2024, threatened to kill Dube unless he gave in to their demands.
After the threat, Dube surrendered US$40 000 to Mangi.
On count five, they allegedly forced Dube to pay for their accommodation covering the three months they were on the alleged special operation.
Dube gave them US$4 000 and US$1 800 in the presence of Pemba and Daka after they threatened to kill him.
In total, they extorted US$55 300 from Dube on several occasions.
A report was made to the police, leading to the arrest of the three suspects.
