FORMER Chitungwiza town clerk Godfrey Tanyanyiwa, who is currently serving an effective two-and-a-half-year jail term for embezzling over $80 000 from council coffers, yesterday made a fresh bail pending appeal bid at the High Court. SENIOR COURT REPORTER
The former council boss was represented by his lawyer Benjamin Machengete when the bail application was filed before Justice Joseph Musakwa.
However, the matter could not be argued after prosecutor Sharon Fero requested for time to go through what she termed a “voluminous” court record before responding to Tanyanyiwa’s appeal for freedom.
Justice Musakwa postponed the matter to Monday next week by consent of both parties.
Tanyanyiwa was sent to prison by regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya on September 6 this year after he was convicted on three counts of fraud and one count of “concealing from a principal a personal interest in a transaction”.
He was initially slapped with a six-year jail term before 18 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The court further suspended two years of the sentence on condition that Tanyanyiwa restitutes Chitungwiza Municipality in the sum of $80 000 by December 30 this year.
The court also slapped Tanyanyiwa with a $300 fine for failing to disclose personal interest in a property which he leased to a senior council official. He was slapped with a further one year on another count of prejudicing the council of $6 500 in rentals.
