Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku
A ROMAN Catholic priest stationed in Bulawayo allegedly blocked Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officers from arresting his relative who is accused of defrauding the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) of over US$100 000.
Father John Sewera, appeared before Bulawayo Provincial Magistrate Richard Ramaboea charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice under Section 184 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Prosecutors say Sewera tried to shield his relative, Mthandazo Gumede, who was being investigated for the massive fraud scandal.
According to court papers, ZACC officers were hot on Gumede’s trail when Father Sewera allegedly phoned a woman named Sibusiso Violla Nyathi instructing her not to cooperate with the investigators or reveal Gumede’s whereabouts.
When ZACC officials followed up, they allegedly discovered that Gumede had been hiding at the priest’s Lobengula West home but by the time they arrived, the fugitive had already vanished.
During court proceedings, Sewera’s lawyer, Prince Butshe of Butshe and Associates, argued that the charge was invalid, claiming ZACC officers had no legal standing to file obstruction charges.
“Section 184 clearly states that only police officers can lay such charges,” Butshe told the court. “ZACC officers, though peace officers, are not police officers and therefore cannot substitute for them.”
He further insisted that the State had “erred in law”, arguing that the two roles — peace officers and police officers — are not interchangeable.
Butshe concluded that his client had no case to answer and applied for his discharge.
Sewera was remanded out of custody and is expected back in court today for sentencing.
Meanwhile, Gumede remains on the run, as ZACC continues to hunt for the missing man at the centre of the six-figure GMB fraud.
