Passports scandal 3 more denied bail

Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent

THREE processing officers from the Registrar-General’s Office in Epworth have been denied bail after being accused of assisting four Cameroonians to fraudulently acquire Zimbabwean national identity cards.

Presiding Magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa deemed the trio a flight risk and likely to interfere with ongoing investigations, remanding them until October 17 in custody.

Mike Kudzai Chikumbu, Titos Mutahwa, and Roselyn Tesa, allegedly colluded with Tafadzwa Chiundiza to obtain Zimbabwean passports for Christiana Boyembe Dumba, Emile MuyaMuya, Marvel NgeiTegha, and Yvette KumNnam. Chiundiza had previously acquired birth certificates from the Registrar General’s Office in Mount Darwin.

Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti stated that the offence was uncovered on September 21 when Zimbabwean Immigration Officers arrested the four Cameroonians at the Beitbridge border post as they were attempting to travel to South Africa using fraudulently acquired passports.

The immigration staff became suspicious when, despite having indigenous Zimbabwean names on their passports, the four could not speak or understand a word of the languages connected to those names. So they investigated.

The Cameroonians, still in custody, are challenging the charges of bribery and contravening the Birth and Death Registration Act and are expected to return to court on October 8 for a ruling.

They have yet to apply for bail.

The Registrar General’s Passport Office in Harare, represented by Provincial Registrar Takuranawo Takuranawo, is the complainant.