KADOMA A Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer allegedly released two convicts from holding cells at Kadoma Magistrates Court, after soliciting a $50 bribe from each of them.
The officer, Sergeant Justice Sengu (40), who has since been discharged from the ZRP, was last Friday sentenced to three months imprisonment or alternatively a $300 fine for criminal abuse of office for facilitating the release of Samuel Banda and Blessing Gumbo, who were serving custodial terms for assault and possession of dagga respectively.
The State case, led by Allen Chifokoyo, was that on April 9, 2010 at Kadoma Magistrates Court, the accused, who was a court orderly, took the pair into custody and detained them at the courts holding cells in handcuffs.
The court heard that Sengu approached the two in cells, removed cuffs and released them after the prisoners promised to pay him $50 each while in Rimuka township where they lived.
The matter came to light on the same day after Emily Ruwenga, also a police officer and court orderly, met Banda in Rimuka when in fact he should have been at Kadoma Prison where he was to serve a 20-day jail term.
Ruwenga immediately arrested Banda, who then spilled the beans, leading to the arrest of Gumbo and Sengu.
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In passing the lighter sentence, Chegutu magistrate Winfilda Tiyatara considered that Sengu did not benefit from the crime as he never received the $50 promised by each of the prisoners and that he had already been punished following his dismissal from work.