News / Local
Senior Bulawayo cop charged with abuse of office
22 Jun 2015 at 03:23hrs | Views
A senior Bulawayo police officer who allegedly forged signatures and force numbers of his colleagues to clear a convict performing community service duties has since been put on his defence and further remanded for finalization of his plea of not guilty.
Inspector Charles Mupatsi (52), now based at Donnington Police Station, is being charged with criminal abuse of authority as a public officer and is denying the charge.
In his defence Mupatsi said he is not linked to the allegations and never associated to the probationer who was serving community service to that extent.
He claimed he was mistakenly charged and prayed that he be discharged. He was appearing before Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove who remanded the mattter to July 3 for the continuation of his defence case.
Mupatsi is alleged to have forged signatures of other police officers on the timesheet of Philani Ndlovu who initially served part of his community service at Mandwandwe Secondary School before being moved to complete his duties at Nkulumane Police Station. Sent from my iPhone
Recently, Constable Thabani Masuku told the court that Mupatsi was a senior police officer who at one time would act as the station's officer-in-charge.
Masuku is one of the police officers whose signatures and force numbers were allegedly used by Mupatsi on the timesheet.
He denied ever signing any timesheet and ever interacting with convicts serving community service.
He said he was interviewed by one Inspector Sibanda, an officer-in-charge of Pumula, and Superintendent Matshilani saying they wanted to find out if he ever supervised Ndlovu or signed on the timesheet.
He, however, denied ever seeing Ndlovu among those who served community service at Nkulumane Police Station.
But Mupatsi's lawyer Liberty Mcijo, during cross examination, told Masuku that he was lying in court because he had been threatened by his seniors that he would lose his job if he told the truth.
He denied ever being threatened by anyone or ever signing any timesheet.
Inspector Charles Mupatsi (52), now based at Donnington Police Station, is being charged with criminal abuse of authority as a public officer and is denying the charge.
In his defence Mupatsi said he is not linked to the allegations and never associated to the probationer who was serving community service to that extent.
He claimed he was mistakenly charged and prayed that he be discharged. He was appearing before Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove who remanded the mattter to July 3 for the continuation of his defence case.
Mupatsi is alleged to have forged signatures of other police officers on the timesheet of Philani Ndlovu who initially served part of his community service at Mandwandwe Secondary School before being moved to complete his duties at Nkulumane Police Station. Sent from my iPhone
Recently, Constable Thabani Masuku told the court that Mupatsi was a senior police officer who at one time would act as the station's officer-in-charge.
Masuku is one of the police officers whose signatures and force numbers were allegedly used by Mupatsi on the timesheet.
He denied ever signing any timesheet and ever interacting with convicts serving community service.
He said he was interviewed by one Inspector Sibanda, an officer-in-charge of Pumula, and Superintendent Matshilani saying they wanted to find out if he ever supervised Ndlovu or signed on the timesheet.
He, however, denied ever seeing Ndlovu among those who served community service at Nkulumane Police Station.
But Mupatsi's lawyer Liberty Mcijo, during cross examination, told Masuku that he was lying in court because he had been threatened by his seniors that he would lose his job if he told the truth.
He denied ever being threatened by anyone or ever signing any timesheet.
Source - online
