FORMER Shurugwi resident magistrate Loveness Matione allegedly landed herself in trouble after she solicited for a bribe and attempted to extort about $2 000 from a gold theft suspect.
Report by Silas Nkala, Staff Reporter
Matione (31) was not asked to plead to the charges when she appeared before Gokwe magistrate Shepherd Mjanja last Thursday.
The court remanded her to October 24 on free bail. State allegations are that sometime in March 2009, Matione demanded a $2 000 bribe from complainant Leonard Chigama, who was being charged with stealing 85g of gold.
Chigama, a businessman at Chachacha business centre in Shurugwi, was being investigated by police on allegations of theft by finding, of 85g of gold.
Matione, who was in charge of Shurugwi Magistrates’ Court allegedly promised to have Chigama’s theft charges concealed.
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Chigama made a report and a trap was set up, leading to her arrest after she received counterfeit money amounting to $250 as part of the bribe.