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Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent
A member of Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) stationed in Gutu yesterday appeared in court for allegedly stealing vehicle registration plates belonging to the Office of the President and selling them to other people.
Chancellor Nathan Garikayi was facing two counts of abuse of office and theft when he appeared before regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa who granted him US$200 bail and remanded him to December 8.
The complainant is the State represented by Detective Assistant Inspector Lifa of CID Police Anti-Corruption Unit Northern Region.
Sometime in February, Garikayi received information that Tatenda Garvin Chigumbura, who is already on bail pending trial bought a white Ford Ranger vehicle double cab which had been blacklisted by Central Vehicle Registry.
He went and arrested Chigumbura.
He later released him without impounding the motor vehicle.
Sometime in March, Garikayi supplied Chigumbura with a third number plate and registration number plate AFY 3520 belonging to the President’ Office which he affixed to his motor vehicle.
On September 28, police received information that led to the arrest of Chigumbura who implicated Garikayi as the one who had supplied the registration plates.
The smuggled motor vehicle was impounded and the fraudulently affixed set of number plates with registration number AFY 3520 were recovered from Chigumbura.
A fraudulently obtained registration book of the motor vehicle and one piece of registration plate AFX 3910 wERE also recovered.
The court heard that Garikayi’s actions were contrary to his duties as a public officer, and he did this for the purpose of showing favour to Chigumbura.
On another charge, the State alleged that sometime during this year, Garikayi, in the company of Gasa Mukuta who is a member of the President’s Department stationed at Braeside Office and is still at large, hatched a plan to steal registration plates at the President Department’s Braeside Office.
The two then stole vehicle registration numbers AES 2942 and sold them to Blessing Katsatse for US$2000 then affixed the registration number plates on a Toyota Fortuner which is suspected to have been smuggled from South Africa.
Police recovered the stolen number plates from Katsatse and impounded the smuggled Toyota Fortuner.
Mr Pardon Dziva appeared for the State.
Online Reporter