Zengeza MP granted bail as police change charges three times

By Lance Guma
07 April 2006

Zengeza MP Goodrich Chimbaira was granted Z$3 million bail on Friday by the Chitungwiza Magistrates Court. The MDC legislator was arrested Tuesday on allegations of smuggling cigarettes and held in custody for almost three days. His lawyer Alec Muchadehama described the whole issue as an attempt to smear Chimbaira’s image. Speaking to Newsreel Muchadehama says the police have revised charges against his client three times after realising they would not stick.

First they alleged that 30 cartons of cigarettes found at Chimbaira’s home were intended for smuggling outside the country. ‘They soon realised that where the cigarettes had been found (Seke-Chitungwiza) was not a border or exit point and it would have been extremely difficult to sustain those charges,’ Muchadehama said. The charges were then altered to accuse the MP of being in possession of stolen property. This also failed to stick before they finally settled on charging him with theft.

This last charge says the legislator stole 30 cartons of Remington Cigarettes from an exporter who only realised at the border that the consignment had missing cartons. Police allege the cartons found at Chimbaira’s house are part of the consignment stolen from the truck. Muchadehama says the police cannot even say where the theft took place, save to say somewhere between Harare and Beitbridge. He says they will make an application for Chimbaira to either be removed from remand or face trial to get the matter settled.