The High Court has granted a former Bulawayo police detective a writ of execution to attach property worth $56 000 from two Cabinet ministers and police officers after he was victimised for revealing in court that police were responsible for the death of two suspected armed robbers two years ago.
Bazil Nyapokoto told the court last year police had punished him for refusing to cover up for the murder case by claiming during an inquest that the alleged robbers died during a shootout.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha last month granted a writ of execution allowing Nyapokoto to attach movable property from the co- Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone, police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri as well as six police officers involved in his persecution.
The writ of execution followed damages of $56 400 granted to Nyakopoto by Justice Kamocha on June 16 last year.
Nyakopoto had approached the court demanding compensation following his arrest, detention and eviction soon after testifying in the inquest on July 9,2010.
Initially, Nyapokoto was demanding $450 000 claiming $443 000 was for damages and $6 400 for his legal fees.
But Justice Kamocha reduced the damages to $50 000 in addition to the legal costs.
In his declaration, Nyapokoto said on or about March 10, 2010, he together with other police officers acted on instructions from their superiors to cover up for a murder case involving two suspected armed robbers, Andrew Sibanda and Nehemiah Vumbu who had died in police custody.
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He said an inquest was opened and on July 9, 2010 at Tredgold Magistrates’ Courts’ where he gave his version of events on the instruction to go and stage- manage a shootout.
Nyapokoto said soon after giving evidence at around 11.15 am, he was apprehended by five police officers who assaulted him in public, handcuffed and detained him.
He said he was charged with perjury after spending three days in detention and brought to court where he was remanded in custody after the police opposed bail.
The former detective said he was eventually released from remand prison after the charges were thrown out for lack of evidence.
Nyapokoto said on the day of his release from prison, his family including minor children were evicted from the police house following orders by Chief Superintendent Mavis Nkomo, the officer commanding Criminal Investigations Department.
He said he only came back following a High Court order granted on July 19.
He said as a result of the defendants’ actions, he was deprived of his right to liberty, suffered mental trauma as he was portrayed as a criminal and the matter was being widely publicized in the Press.
However, Nyapokoto’s lawyers, Dube – Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners indicated that the Deputy Sheriff was still to act on the writ of execution and attach the movable property of the defendants.
