CID Boss Faces Fresh Charges

Criminal Investigations Department (CID) boss Commissioner Chrispen Charumbira has been hauled back to the courts on fresh charges of defeating the course of justice.

He was granted $10 000 bail by Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti and given conditions to report every Friday at Police General Headquarters’ Anti-Corruption Unit, not to interfere with State witnesses and to reside at his supplied address.

Prosecutor Charles Muchemwa told the court that sometime in June 2019, Detective Constables Mashange, Chada and Mahere arrested David Mucheche in Murambi, Mutare for contravening the Gold Trade Act by dealing in gold without a licence.

They escorted Mucheche to Mutare Central police station and as they were briefing their officer in charge Felix Machaka about the arrest.

One David Crosby entered the office while talking over the phone and handed it over to Machaka advising him that Charumbira wanted to talk to him.

Charumbira then unlawfully directed Machaka to release the suspect without confirmation of the existence of any licenses, recording the gold exhibit in any official record book and without pressing any charges on him.

He also ordered the return of the recovered gold.

Machaka informed Charumbira that he wanted to verify whether Mucheche was in possession of a permit to deal with gold but he insisted that there was no need for that verification to be carried out but that he should return the gold to the suspect and set him free.

Machaka complied with the instruction and the suspect was given back his gold without due process. Nhau/lndaba