Police implicated in bribery scam

Police officers manning the Harare-Chitungwiza highway have been implicated in a bribery scam involving commuter omnibus crews following the arrest of six people in a robbery case.

Pardon Chigwada, 33, a police officer is jointly charged with minibus crew members Brian Darryken, 34, Blessing Mavhunga, 31, Dominic Masika, 35, and Kumbirai Chakezha, 25.

Through their lawyer Moses Nyatsoma, they applied for bail before High Court judge Priscillah Chigumba. They are jointly charged with Melody Zakeyo, 35, who is represented by another lawyer.

They are all accused of robbing Garikai Nyanga of airtime and cash valued at $470.

However, the group claimed to be victims of a police bribery network.

In the bail statement, the suspects told the court that they know Nyanga very well and that he is the one who collects bribes from commuter omnibus crews, before forwarding it to police officers manning roadblocks along the Harare-Chitungwiza route.

According to their bail statement, Nyanga collects $22 from each commuter minibus, money which they claimed is later passed on to officers in the National Highway Patrol.

"When you pay the said amount, you also submit your vehicle registration number to the complainant (Nyanga)," reads part of the bail statement.

It is further claimed that on two occasions, Nyanga did not submit the bribe money, leading to the bus operators being fined $40.

The group, in the company of Chigwada, said they confronted Nyanga, so that he could give them back the money they had paid, including the extra cost for the tickets they received from the police.

They said Nyanga gave them $180, after Chigwada identified himself as a police officer.

"No weapon was used, no force was used," the group told the court.

"The complainant later on reported the case on the instruction of the Highway Patrol officer."

The State claims the group robbed Nyanga after shoving him into their vehicle and driving off, accusing him of selling airtime without a licence, as opposed to the suspects' version of events.

The bail application was postponed to tomorrow for hearing.