FIVE serving members of the Zimbabwe National Army were yesterday dragged before a Harare magistrate for alleged possession of counterfeit United States dollar notes.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
The suspects — Elias Maendese (26), Patrick Kabinda (38), Sydney Mugugu (36), Innocent Chiurairwe (29) and Kudakwashe Gumbeze — were not asked to plead when they appeared before magistrate, Victoria Mashamba, who granted them $50 bail each and remanded the matter to October 19.
State counsel, Tariro Gwatidzo told the court that on September 28 this year, police detectives received information that three of the suspects were travelling in a Mitsubishi Gallant vehicle and had some counterfeit US dollar notes.
The detectives trailed the suspects, arrested them in the central business district and recovered 16 x $100 counterfeit notes from a black diary book on the driver’s door panel.
It is alleged the fake notes were taken to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on the same day, where they were confirmed to be counterfeit.
The State alleges after being arrested, Maendese, Kabinda and Mugugu implicated Gumbeze as the source of the counterfeit money. When the detectives followed up on Gumbeze, they found him in the company of Chiurairwe, who had more fake dollars.
