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NewsDay

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Gweru forex dealer acquitted

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A 35-YEAR-OLD Gweru man was last week acquitted on charges of illegally dealing in foreign currency.

BY STEPHEN CHADENGA

A 35-YEAR-OLD Gweru man was last week acquitted on charges of illegally dealing in foreign currency.

Paradzanai Hamanu of Mkoba 11 appeared before magistrate Edwin Marecha facing a charge of illegally dealing in foreign currency.

Allegations were that Hamanu was seen by detectives holding wads of bond notes, United States dollars and South African rand which he was reportedly trading on the streets.

Through his lawyer, Nomore Hlabano, Hamanu denied the charge and said police officers forcibly took the money from his vehicle, which (money) he intended to pay the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority for the house he had bought and that part of the money was paid after his car had been hired.

He told the court that he had CCTV footage which showed the police randomly searching his car before taking the money.

Marecha ruled that the State had failed to prove its case before acquitting Hamanu.

The State’s case was that on August 20 this year at around 3pm, detectives, who were on patrol, saw Hamanu holding a bunch of currencies and saying in vernacular, “tinochinja mari pano (we exchange money)” to passersby.

Police approached and arrested him and recovered $2 000, R5 680, US$161 on his person and a further $2 880 from a satchel stashed in his car.