Suspended Chitungwiza town clerk Godfrey Tanyanyiwa, who is facing charges of swindling the local authority of over $700 000, was yesterday removed from house arrest as part of the relaxation of his bail conditions.
Tanyanyiwa had been barred from leaving his Mount Pleasant house except when going for routine reporting to Avondale Police Station or when attending court.
Yesterday, provincial magistrate Shane Kubonera relaxed the conditions but still maintained Tanyanyiwa reports once a week at Avondale Police Station.
Among other conditions, Tanyanyiwa was ordered to surrender his passport, not to interfere with witnesses and to stay at his Mount Pleasant house until finalisation of the case.
Tanyanyiwa, who is being represented by Admire Rubaya, faces 52 counts of criminal abuse of office, eight counts of fraud and a count of corruptly concealing from a principal personal interest in a transaction.
In the first fraud case, the State alleges Tanyanyiwa hatched a plan to defraud Chitungwiza Municipality of $165 000 which he used to buy himself a house in Chisipite.
The State further alleges during the period between September and December last year, Tanyanyiwa rented out the Chisipite house to the council’s director of urban planning, Conrad Muchesa, at $1 300 per month.
Tanyanyiwa allegedly engaged an estate agent to collect the money from council on his behalf.
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He is also accused of criminal abuse of duty after he allegedly corruptly acquired three commercial stands using names of three different shelf companies and also prejudiced his employer of $170 000 by diverting funds meant for the purchase of three vehicles.
The State also alleges sometime between September and December last year and on 50 different occasions, Tanyanyiwa corruptly authorised cash payments amounting to $337 253 to himself and other top council officials.
He was arrested in February and spent two weeks in remand prison before his release on $1 000 bail.
The embattled town clerk is expected back in court on April 23.
