Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Suspected illegal money changers arrive at the Harare Magistrates Court for bail hearing yesterday. — Picture: Lee Maidza.Yeukai Karengezeka–Court Correspondent
SIXTY-FIVE suspected illegal money changers arrested last week after being found operating around Harare have been further remanded in custody to Monday.
This is to allow the State to summon investigating officers to court to clarify the circumstances around the arrests.
Bail hearings are expected from Monday up to May 3.
The court heard that most of the investigating officers had been dispatched to areas where by-elections will be conducted over the weekend. There will be two by-elections in Harare’s Mount Pleasant and Harare East parliamentary constituencies on Saturday.
Bail hearings were deferred although some of the accused persons who are legally represented had already filed written submissions.
The suspects are appearing before Harare magistrates Mr Dennis Mangosi and Mrs Ethel Chichera, charged with contravening the Exchange Control Act.
The State, represented by Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti, Mr Thomas Chanakira and Mr Takudzwa Jambawu, opposed bail on the grounds that the offence was serious and attracted a jail sentence on conviction.
Last Friday, two of the accused were observed soliciting for United States dollars at Chisipite shopping centre by a team of detectives on surveillance patrol.
The detectives approached the two and posed as clients.
Twins, Tapiwa Nyamadzawo and Justice Nyamadzawo (24), negotiated with the detectives to pay ZiG15 for a US dollar, with the detectives offering US$10 for sale.
The suspected money changers then proposed to pay ZiG150 into EcoCash.
Tapiwa then made a transaction and transferred ZiG150 into an account provided by the detectives and both accused were arrested.
Searches were carried out on the accused persons leading to the recovery of a Tecno cellphone dual SIM, CBZ debit card, NMB debit card and US$465 in cash from Tapiwa.
From Justice, police recovered an O’mari debit card, an NMB point of sale machine, a CABS debit card and US$124 cash, all supporting evidence that the pair was illegally dealing in foreign currency.
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