Man tries to bribe cop with $1

AN INGWEBU BREWERIES security guard is up for bribery after he allegedly attempted to bribe a police officer with $1 so he could release his friend who had been detained for criminal nuisance.

Phumuzani Tshabalala appeared before the Western Commonage magistrate Temba Chimiso where he pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody to tomorrow.

In his defence, Tshabalala told the court that although he admitted to the charge, he had not tried to bribe the cop, but offered the officer a drink.

"I gave him a dollar to buy a Coke not as a bribe, but just to appreciate if he would release my colleague," he said.

Prosecutor Whatmore Tembo told the court that last week Tshabalala went to Luveve Police Station where his friend, Hebert Zvikoni, was arrested and detained for criminal nuisance.

In a bid to remove his friend from custody, he went to Inspector Japhet Moyo's office and requested that he facilitate the release of his friend from the cells.

After Moyo told Tshabalala that he was not the one in charge of Zvikoni's case, he hatched a plan to bribe the cop.

"I saw him talking to Zvikoni by the cells after then he came straight to my office and asked me to release his friend," Moyo said.

"I told him that I could not release him because I was not the one in charge of his case and I continued doing my work."

After a while, Tshabalala told the officer that he was sorry to disturb him, took a dollar from his pocket and shoved it under the documents, which were on top of his desk and said: "Mdala uzathenga idrink khipha umfana wami kuphela" (sir buy yourself a drink, but release my friend).

"I immediately called a sergeant who was on duty who arrested Tshabalala and took down the serial numbers of his note," Moyo said.