TWO immigration officers and a security officer at Harare International Airport appeared in court on Wednesday charged with human trafficking and criminal abuse of duty.
BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI SENIOR REPORTER
Mary Mutizwa (35), employed at Field Security Headquarters at Cranborne Barracks, Brian Chikwanda (35) and Kufakunesu Peter Chirume (40), stationed at the Department of Immigration at the Harare International Aiport were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe.
They were granted $100 each and remanded to March 24. As part of their bail conditions, the suspects were ordered to surrender their passports with the clerk of court, report every week at the Minerals and Border Control Unit at the airport and to reside at their given addresses in Budiriro.
The three were charged with contravening Section 3 of the Presidential Powers (Temporary) Measures under the Trafficking of Persons Act or alternatively criminal abuse of duty as a public officer under Section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Prosecutor Farai Gatsi told the court that on February 13 this year, the trio allegedly connived to allow Muhammad Aslam, a Pakistani national, to slip into the country without a visa.
Aslam is said to have arrived in the country aboard an Emirates flight which landed at Harare International Airport at around 1640 hours.
The court heard that CCTVs used as back-up security measure helped in the identification of the three accused persons, linking them to the offence. The CCTV recording allegedly showed that Mutizwa led Aslam to Chirume who was manning the immigration cubicle. The two then allegedly connived with Chikwanda to allow the Pakistan national into the country.
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The accused persons allegedly knew that Aslam fell under Category C in terms of the revised Immigration Visa Requirements which came into effect on July 26 last year which required the Pakitani man to apply for a visa while still outside the country. Aslam was later arrested at Beitbridge Border Post while trying to cross into South Africa, leading to the recovery of his passport, which was not endorsed with an immigration date stamp.
