'Exhibit vanished in police hands'

TWO alleged gold smugglers told a Plumtree magistrate that seven bars of their gold disappeared while in the hands of the police. Francis Maranjesi, 47, and Nathan Mnaba, 29, appeared before Plumtree magistrate, Livard Philemon on Tuesday facing charges of smuggling and possessing gold without a licence.They pleaded not guilty and were remanded out of custody to September 21 for continuation of trial.

The two stated that they put the eight kilogrammes of gold in a fuel tank with the intention of delivering it to Fidelity Printers. They also alleged that they had loaded 19 gold bars, contrary to a report by police that only 12 bars valued at $304,545 had been recovered. Maranjesi, an operations assistant at Danny Mining Claim in Kadoma, told the court that he was not aware that the car he was travelling in had some gold hidden in its fuel tank.

Mnaba, the mine manager said he was the one who put the gold in the fuel tank. He alleged that he had done so in order to take the gold to Fidelity Printers who are the country's sole buyers of gold.

The two men through their lawyers alleged that their arrest was a mere cover up by police to evade investigations relating to the theft of the seven gold bars after they confiscated the gold.

The two are represented by Admire Rubaya of Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners and Nelson Mashizha of Sachikonye Ushe Legal Practitioners.

Rubaya told the court that Maranjesi was shocked to learn that the car he was driving was carrying gold.

"My client just took the company car to Plumtree not knowing that his employer had hidden 19 gold bars and one cone in the fuel tank. He did not have knowledge of the existence of the gold in question until police officers recovered the gold," said Rubaya.

He said when police officers searched the vehicle, there were 19 bars and one cone in the fuel tank.

"My client did not implicate his workmate as an accomplice to the crime. He explained himself to the police, these are malicious allegations being peddled by the police who want to cover up for the theft of gold belonging to my client's employer," he said.

Rubaya said the gold in question was from Dandy Mining claims.

He said Mnaba placed the gold in the fuel tank for safe keeping as he intended selling it to Fidelity Printers.

He said Mnaba loaded 19 bars and one cone and did not inform Maranjesi who later took the car for his own use.

Presenting his statement, the officer in charge Minerals and Border Control Unit, Inspector Shorai Mbetsa who is the investigation officer in the matter, said Maranjesi had willingly admitted to possessing gold.

"We searched his vehicle and discovered some spanners in his bag and when we asked their purpose he said they opened the fuel tank. He then confessed that the tank contained gold," he said.

"We counted the gold bars in his presence and there were 12. The gold was also weighed in his presence and the weight was eight kilogrammes. We asked him to produce documents for the gold but he failed."

Prosecuting, Stanley Chinyanganya said Maranjesi and Mnaba connived to hide the gold in order to smuggle it into Botswana.

He said Maranjesi went to Plumtree Border Post on June 24 at around 1PM where he was arrested.

Chinyanganya said Maranjesi implicated Mnaba as the owner of the gold.