The Prosecutor-General’s Office has set November 2 as the trial date for Central Intelligence Organisation senior officer, Mbereki Nyathi, who is being charged with Abdul Ishmael, Samson Marufu and Hilary Nduna, for theft of a motor vehicle. The charge has since been altered to money-laundering.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
Defence lawyer, Admire Rubaya told the court they had consented to the trial date despite the State having changed the charge.
The State, represented by Sebastian Mutizirwa, did not explain in court why it had changed the charge from theft of a motor vehicle to one of money-laundering. Ishmael, Nyathi, Nduna and Marufu were arrested last month.
According to the State, the quartet worked in cahoots with their South African accomplices and smuggled the vehicle into the country last year.
Ishmael is then alleged to have obtained a fraudulent vehicle registration book from the Central Vehicle Registry department and also evaded paying duty to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
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The State alleges after registering the vehicle, Ishmael handed it over to Nyathi for safekeeping, while taking advantage of his position as a senior State security agent, but the latter is said to have started using the vehicle.