CAPS boss Mtandah warned to abide by bail conditions

interfering with State witnesses.
Mtandah, who is also the owner of FCA Motors and Western Union franchise holder, and his alleged accomplice Frank Majaka, yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma.
Ms Tshuma remanded the matter to March 20 as the record has not been returned from the High Court where it went for a review.
When he initially appeared in court Mtandah was released on US$1 000 bail, ordered to surrender his passport and not to interfere with State witnesses.
Prosecutor Mr Obi Mabahwana yesterday accused Mtandah of causing some of the witnesses who are employed at Caps Holdings to be locked up at the company premises.
He said he had fired them and demanded that they surrender company property.
Mr Mabahwana said this was a serious breach of his bail conditions.
Mtandah’s lawyer Ms Linda Chipato, however, objected saying the prosecution wanted to continue accusing his client on Caps Holdings matters, which were decided by shareholders. Ms Tshuma said she was not aware of Mtandah’s bail conditions as the record of proceedings had been sent to the High Court for a review.
Provincial magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini who was handling the matter recused himself from the case.
He cited the accusations traded between the State and the defence over the case as interference with the court proceedings.
Charges against Mtandah arose when he allegedly connived with Majaka and defrauded CAPS Holdings of US$25 million after they fraudulently took 50 dossiers of critical drugs manufactured by CAPS Private Limited and registered them in Europe under the name CAPS International.
The State says they registered the drugs after they misrepresented to the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe that they had authority from CAPS Holdings to de-register the drugs.