By NHAU MANGIRAZI TOP Karoi Town Council managers and suspended town secretary, Wellington Mutikani have been arraigned before the magistrates’ court over criminal abuse of office, fraud and corruption charges.
Some of the managers that appeared before the courts on Thursday and Friday last week include administrator Hastings Makunda and town council chairperson Abel Matsika.
They were nabbed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) in September during its anti-corruption blitz.
Makunda is facing criminal abuse of office charges after he was allegedly allocated a commercial stand without going to tender.
He was granted $20 000 bail by Karoi magistrate Terence Mashaire and will appear in court on December 7.
Pazvichaenda Valeri Munakira prosecuted.
Matsika also faces criminal abuse of office charges as defined by section 174(a)(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act after selling an undeveloped stand to Clever Foya for US$11 000.
He was granted $50 000 bail.
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Mutikani (49) was also arraigned before the courts and is facing four counts of criminal abuse of office charges as a public officer over four cases of land corruption.
He was granted $50 000 bail and will be back in court on December 8 for routine remand. Unite Saize of Saize Law Chambers represented him.
Meanwhile, five Karoi councillors on Friday appeared in court facing abuse of office charges.
They were arrested by Zacc under case number HRC 79/11/21.
They are Stewart Jena (59), council vice-chairperson and ward 3 councillor, Nicholas Murwira (55) ward 9, Rangirayi Hungwe (48) ward 10, Thomas Mbiri (47) ward 5, and Kenston Kumponda (51) ward 8.
They stayed in Harare for three days on full board getting $101 541 each instead of the government rate of $24 750. They were each granted $2 000 bail, and will appear again in court on December 9.
Ward 2 councillor Ganizani Chimtokoma (47) appeared before Karoi magistrate Felix Chourume on criminal abuse of office charges over allegations of selling a stand to Godknows Murambiwa for US$12 000 in 2016.
He was remanded on $2 000 bail to December 8.
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