TWO suspected robbers who were arrested for allegedly conniving with a High Court prosecutor to be granted bail using forged papers have been denied bail.
Evidence Tawanda Masawi allegedly had his papers altered to rape while those of Office Chanakira were altered to attempted murder from robbery and they were granted bail at the High Court.
The two were charged for defeating the course of justice when they appeared before regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Yesterday, the State opposed their admission to bail, submissions which found favour with the court.
Allegations are that Masawi was arrested for a case of robbery and was remanded in custody after his bail bid failed at Chitungwiza magistrate’s court.
It is alleged that while he was at Harare Remand Prison he hatched a plan to seek freedom through illicit means.
He allegedly connived with Henry Muringani, a High Court public prosecutor, to amend the State papers and forged a lesser charge of rape for him to be granted bail.
The forged papers were filed with the Registrar of High court under bail number B110/22 for bail.
Claims are that the misrepresentation led to Masawi being admitted to bail.
Another suspect, Chanakira was also arrested for robbery.
He was also remanded in custody and allegedly connived with Muringani and had his papers amended to a lesser charge of attempted murder for him to be granted bail.
The alleged forged papers were filed with the Registrar of High court under bail number B111/22.
As a result of this misrepresentation, Chanakira was granted bail, it is said.
Meanwhile, Muringani, who is still in custody on five counts of obstruction of justice, has launched a new bid for bail.
Muringani, who is represented by Lovemore Madhuku and Moses Nyatsoma, argues that there is no link between him and the alleged offence.
He said none of the inmates had implicated him when they appeared before the High Court.
“The State in its papers is showing that accused prepared papers and the inmates appeared at the High Court but the question to be asked is; did those inmates appearing at the high court implicate the accused person?
“We challenge the State to place those records before the court so as to ascertain the responses of the said inmates when they appeared before the High Court,” he argued.
Muringani also argued that he has never communicated with any of the alleged inmates.
“The Form 242 dated 25 March 2022 on Section B on evidence, it’s stated that accused communicated with the inmates, but accused will state that he does not know any of those inmates and he never visited them at Chikurubi Maximum prison and he did not communicate with any inmate at any given time.
“The accused will challenge the State if there is any evidence that the accused received any form of payment from the relatives of the inmates.
“From the four additional counts it is my humble submission that the State has not managed to strengthen its case”.