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Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent
TWO ex-senior police officers — Assistant Commissioner Fortunate Chirara and Inspector John Madhuku — have approached the High Court seeking an order to invalidate their resignations.
The two are fighting for reinstatement without loss of salary and benefits on the basis that they were acquitted of duping the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Kuyedza Women’s Club of $4 000 in 2017.
Chirara and Madhuku want the defendants to pay costs of suit on a client-attorney scale.
Initially, the two were convicted by Harare magistrate Mrs Josephine Sande, but were acquitted after appealing against their conviction and sentence at the High Court.
Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, the Police Service Commission and Senior Assistant Commissioner Godfrey Munyonga are cited as respondents.
The two former police officers, through their lawyers Mugiya and Muvhami Law Chambers, argue that they were misled to resign by Munyonga.
“The third defendant (Munyonga) unlawfully forced the plaintiffs to resign against their will and he threatened them with arrests and discharge from the police service over allegations that the plaintiffs had swindled funds for the Kuyedza Women’s Club,” the lawyers argued.
“Out of fear and excessive intimidations, the plaintiffs tendered their resignations to the third defendant who personally supervised the process and directed the plaintiffs on how to resign.”
The ex-officers were sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment each for theft, but 15 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour and that they restitute $2 300 each.
The Women’s Club comprises of wives of police officers residing in camps throughout the country to empower them to run self-sustaining projects.
Online Reporter